Short skirts, red pumps and a catwalk may be all it takes for a woman to be raped, and it would be all her fault. At least, this is what victims tell themselves.

Too often, a sexually assaulted woman blames herself for what the assaulter does to her. She may think, “Maybe I should not have gone to his house,” or “Maybe I should not have gotten drunk that night.”

Are these women right to blame themselves?

Based on a study done at George Washington University, 62 percent of the 129 women who were surveyed blamed themselves for being sexually assaulted. Almost half of them said that their rapist was not at fault.

These women look for someone to blame to cope with the pain, but why do they blame themselves when it is not their fault?

Regardless if a woman is drunk, wearing revealing clothes or taking part in other sexual activities, men are not invited to have sex with them unless they have consent from that woman. If a man proceeds to pursue a woman sexually without consent, then the only one to blame is the assaulter.

However, other people also blame the victim for getting raped.

At a sexual health program in Cayuga Hall, the residents played a game called “victim blaming.” For the game, residents listened to a story about a college student who went to a house party, got drunk and then went upstairs with a guy, where she was raped. After hearing this, each resident was handed a card with a person’s name written on it and their response to the victim’s abuse. Most of the people on the card blamed the victim for what happened. For example, the victim’s mom said, “Why would you even go to the party? I am so disappointed in you.”

Most of the residents at this event were shocked by this.

Blaming oneself for what a rapist has done only gives the rapist control over their life. All of the pain, tears and long nights without sleep is attributed to their attacker.

Women should be able to wear a mini skirt and a tank top without the fear of tempting a rapist. Why should women have to be cautious when they walk the streets alone? Why do they have to be skeptical of every guy they meet? Why do women have to say “no” to men more than once when one “no” should be good enough? Rapists should not be allowed to stop short skirts, red pumps and a catwalk.

Photo: Brian Gladstone via flickr