When you are scared what are you taught to do? Call the police? However, that may not always be the answer, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) 80% of sexual assaults against female students go unreported. The hesitancy to report rape stems from the expectation that women must be submissive and accept the violence thrown at them and any backlash is disbelieved for it is seen as rash or overdramatic.
This expectation is slowly dismantled in the movie, Thelma and Louise, where two women separate themselves from damaging submissive stereotypes and no longer accept the sexual assault and harrassment they are tormented with. The two friends progress from failing to report the rape on Thelma to demanding consequences and apologies from the men who sexual harass them. They no longer are held captive by the obligation women have to remain silent, but rather free as they begin to use their voices and finally take control of their own lives.
Movies such as this are poster childs on how to speak out against sexual assault; however, there are many circumstances that may complicate this in reality. One such circumstance is the setting of college, where rape and sexual assault are dangerously normalized. The series of short films, “The Unacceptable Acceptance Letters,” effectively instigates universities and student to speak out against this normalization of rape, through disturbing emotional appeals that reveal the reality of assault in college for many students despite the commonplace that college is the best years of your life.
Sources:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). A crisis of campus sexual assault. Monitor on
Psychology. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/04/news-campus-sexual-assault
- “25.9% of female undergraduates experiencing sexual assault”
- Shows prevalence of rape on campus
- Percentage increased over past 10 years
- One of the fathers in the videos even exclaims to his younger daughter, “You’re next!”(GS&P, 2016) in terms of sexual assault. This jaring statement again shows the longevity and normalization of this problem, as the younger generation is expected to suffer from it as well.
In 2015, 89 percent of all colleges and universities reported zero incidents of rape. Women In
Academia Report. (2017, May 24). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from
- “89% of colleges and universities reported zero incidents of rape”
- Colleges are under-reporting rape cases
- This complete lack of justice discourages students from using their voices against their rapists, for no punishment is ever dealt for the crime.
Is a university required to report a sexual assault case to the police? The Law Offices of Andrew
Shubin. (2021, October 12). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from
https://www.shubinlaw.com/is-a-university-required-to-report-a-sexual-assault-case-to-the-police
- Colleges treat rape as a campus problem not a criminal one in order to maintain positive public opinion.
- The video makes reference to this in one of their acceptance letters by stating, “We won’t choose to protect you from your rapist, we will only suspend him for a single day then you are on your own”(GS&P, 2016).