Why Saying "She Asked For It" Is Not Cool

I have four words for anyone who has ever been victim-blamed, in any capacity: It’s not your fault. Nope. It's not! The source of this phrase (or, one of the many sources I should say): Laci Green's "SHE ASKED FOR IT" video, in which the host of the hit YouTube channel Sex+ highlights the absurdity of victim blaming.

In the video, Green, the sex expert/lecturer responsible for videos like "FREAKY LABIA," sheds light on the issue of victim blaming — specifically when it comes to sexual harassment and assault. The definition of victim blaming, in this case, being when someone blames the victim's choices as opposed to their predator's, who, in fact, caused the crime in the first place (for example: a woman can't be harassed by her own crop top). Green emphasizes the fact predators make the choice of hurting a victim — the takeaway being that it was the predator's choice, not the victim's.

Green also notes that most issues that victims are blamed for are, actually, rights everyone should have. She explains that everyone has the right to walk alone, or wear whatever they want, or drink in a bar if they choose (the list goes on and on), and blaming someone's choice in celebrating those rights is wrong. Hence the phrase: "It's not your fault."

Fortunately, Green isn't the first to stand up and speak out agains the issue of victim blaming. A few months ago, Wesleyan University Sophomore Sally Rappaport started Project "Not Asking For It," an initiative aimed to fight against the stigma that women are "asking for it." Launched in response to the "Slut Walk," a movement with the same premise, Project "Not Asking For It" promotes a message similar to Green's: the fact that no one deserves to be sexually assaulted because of their choices in clothing, etc.

Hopefully, more and more women (and men) will join Green and Rappaport by getting on the anti-victim blaming bandwagon. No one deserves to be harassed or assaulted sexually, and we shouldn't be blaming victims of a crime for the crime itself.

For more of Greens videos, visit her YouTube channel.