The Mouth Covering Named Rape Culture and a Struggle for Gender Justice on Social Media

Abstract

Rape culture serves as the mouth covering to silence women’s voices. In particular, women who experienced Gender-Based Violence and became a campaigner to end violence. This study interviewed seven women who revealed themselves and their experiences on social media and later became advocates to fight against sexual violence between 2016 and 2019, the year of the #MeToo phenomenon that emerged in 2017. This article examines the impact of rape culture on this group of women. The findings reveal that sexual violence is rooted in a culture of violence that always has an adversarial and intense impact on women since they were sexual victims and even when they become advocates. Gender-Based Violence is perceived as a personal issue and ignored when the victims pursue help and support. The public’s adherence to gender norms and the sexuality of women and men leads to the victim’s reprimand and the perpetrator’s legitimacy. Acceptance of violence partly supported by gender norms stemmed from the discourse of Thainess. Some victims were confused and accepted sexual violence due to their relationship with the perpetrators. The findings echo the myth about victims and sexual criminals in society. Public opinions challenge to diminish, marginalize women’s voices, and halt the campaign in politicizing women’s experiences - “the personal is political.” This article attempts to give readers a clearer view of the faces of rape culture and to provide some observations to dismantle the rape culture.