Kesha, Rape culture, and victim blaming.

If you pay attention to celebrity news, you have probably heard the story about Kesha. If you haven't basically what happened is that Kesha was raped by Dr. Luke. She went to court to breach her contract, so she didn't have to work with her repeat abuser. Her case was denied. What happened to Kesha is bigger than her and her case. It is something that has happened to many girls. They get blamed for being raped. This is caused by the rape culture.

What is rape culture? Is it this mystical thing created by man hating feminists? Or is it real? It is real. Rape culture is the part of our culture that blames victims and affirms rapists. When a woman is raped they hear things like; Why didn't you speak up earlier? What were you wearing? You were drunk. She was asking for it. She should've worn a longer dress. Men can't help it. Or male rape victims hear; Why didn't you fight back? Men can't get raped especially not by women. You are a wuss.  These things make victims stay quiet. Who wants to face these accusations and justifications of what happened to them. In the end, rape culture promotes victim blaming. This leads to victims staying quiet. It is incredibly hard to fight all of that. You have to be very brave.

What can you do to support these silenced victims? You really never know who has been sexually abused or not. But what you can do is be a safe person to talk to. Be open about your struggles. Don't judge others or make rape jokes. You are only shaming victims and uplifting rapists. Try to love and show that you care and are not going to judge. Be understanding. Know that if a victim waits years to come out and tell others. It is because it is extremely hard to do so. And the best thing to do if you are ready is to BREAK YOUR OWN SILENCE! If you aren't ready just be try to understand yourself, and eventually you will be. 

The story of Kesha and her abuse has open up a new way of talking about rape culture and victim blaming. It is not something that just happens to girls who get drunk and get raped. It effects all victims and rape is NEVER someone's fault. We need to show our support and not promote rapists, victim blaming, and rape culture.