This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter.
On the 10th October 2024 a wave of shock hit the UK as beloved Youtuber and TV personality, Yung Filly, was officially arrested and charged for the rape of a young woman in Perth, Australia. This sparked nationwide controversy with many weighing in with their own personal opinions and verdicts, despite it being an ongoing case. Among the array of online discourse, many fans of Yung Filly have vehemently defended the influencer.
Unfortunately, yet not surprisingly, the internet was rife with people victim-blaming the anonymous young lady. Online readers took it upon themselves to decide the young lady was “chasing fame”, despite her choosing to remain completely anonymous. They have titled her as “money hungry” even though it is a criminal case, not a civil one, therefore the aim is for justice and not a hefty settlement, so he is now being prosecuted by the state and not her personally. They are quick to dismiss and demean the claims despite there being enough evidence for an arrest and charge. This is not to say that Yung Filly has certainly committed the crimes alleged against him as only time will tell, however in a world where only 3.2% of rapists are actually prosecuted for their crimes, choosing not to believe the victim or remain neutral is a concerning stance to uphold.
Many find the allegations hard to believe due to Yung Filly’s bubbly and friendly online persona. However, I believe para-social relationships formed with public figures online have become all too normalised, especially if you believe you know a celebrity’s character to the extent that you dismiss all evidence that contradicts the perception of them you’ve created in your own head. Celebrities are not gods and rapists are not always mean scary men lurking in alleyways waiting to grab their next victim. Rapists are fathers, sons, uncles, your friendly neighbour, your teacher or even your pastor; 6 in 7 rapes are committed by men the victim already knows and trusts.
It’s also become apparent that many believe that public figures like footballers, rappers and Youtubers can’t be rapists due to their assumed access to many women and frequent sexual conquests. However it is vital that we unlearn the idea that sexual abusers assault people purely to satisfy their perverted sexual desires. Sexual assault is fundamentally about power and control over another person, choosing to see them as an object as opposed to an actual human being and getting pleasure out of doing so. Therefore it doesn’t matter how desirable a man/woman may appear to be, anyone is capable of assault, especially if they are in a position of power whereby they feel they can get away with it. These regurgitated rhetorics are the primary reason why many women are afraid to speak out against their abusers as they will most likely be faced with immediate doubt, speculation, ridicule and blame. I would argue that victim-blaming and the immediate unwillingness to listen to victims are the biggest contributors to rape culture.
When we hear of a concept as broad as “rape culture”, it is easy for us to detach ourselves from the issue as long as we have not committed or abetted the act of rape at any point in our personal lives. However with 97% of women in the UK having experienced rape or sexual assault, this is not an individual problem that we should be easily detaching ourselves from, but rather a societal issue that must be collectively challenged. By definition, rape culture is a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to that settings attitude about gender and sexuality. It’s important to recognise the social norms and attitudes that cultivate an environment where 97% of women can be victims to sexual assault is everyone’s problem and everyone’s responsibility.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the crime, rape will always be one of the hardest things to prove and there are a select few who decide to lie about their experiences thus making it much harder for real victims to come forward. However this does not mean that we should go out of our way to demean or dismiss those who come forward about sexual assault. Rape culture does not just refer to extremities like rape and assault but also jokes about rape, shaming victims, catcalling and jokes that sexualise and objectify women, all of which are rife on the internet. These things are so deeply integrated into our society and particularly online culture that they are deemed as normal and ultimately trivialise sexual assault and, consequently, the issue of rape as a whole.
At its core, rape culture is a society founded by a lack of empathy, care and deep-rooted misogyny and despite being discussed and protested by women for decades, recent events have proven that this is still an ongoing issue. Therefore it is everyone’s duty to be aware of the subtle things we may be doing that allow rape culture to thrive.
