Massive trigger warning for this whole rant. I will be discussing the glorification and normalization of rape (and by extention, pedophilia and incest) that goes on in stories on this site.

Apparently, some authors wrongly believe that they are mature and responsible enough to handle these topics, to the point where they write graphic rape scenes that have no plot or character relevance and get handled with all the subtlety of an elephant rampaging through an art museum. And I am getting sick of their shit.

If you want to know the specifics of what motivated me to write this, I suggest checking out karmaprada, DEKUUQUAN, MELANINFA1RY, and artic_icee because there's a lot of context both on their message boards and in books on their profiles. I will be getting petty about the situations in question because they disgust me and the authors are all people who clearly peaked in middle school. Still, I'll try to keep my argument broader so that people with no knowledge about what has been happening can understand.

So, why do I even care about this? It's just Wattpad drama started by jealous teenagers, right? No, it isn't, and I've experienced first hand what this type of media can do.

I was sexually assaulted when I was fourteen by a much older guy, and the first person I ever told blamed me for it. This led to years of me internalizing that idea and hating myself because of it. My mental health spiralled for a long time, and I was terrified of going anywhere near older guys for fear that I would cause them to harm me. All because a guy I liked and trusted believed the same myths about sexual assault that these stories and media like them spread.

Some direct quotes from his text messages to me include:

- "Please, that's just something guys do."

- "It probably felt good, anyway."

- "No is just something girls say to play hard to get."

This is the direct result of rape culture and decades of media normalizing and actively glorifying the violent and traumatizing crime of rape. This is what you contribute to when you thoughtlessly add rape, pedophilia, and incest into your stories. You are helping make our world more hostile towards survivors.

The reason this happens has to do with psychology and how our brains function. It's called Framing Theory, and it is a fundamental aspect of how we communicate and process information. In simple terms, our brains are constantly linking and filtering through information that we consume. The information is stored systemically and when certain frames are employed, all knowledge connected to a subject becomes activated.

What does this have to do with rape culture, though? Well, the harmful myths about rape, that it's enjoyable, normal, based upon arousal and not violence, etc. are often upheld by popular media. This creates a link between the real crime of rape and these harmful depictions, and so whenever you see rape being reported on in the media, your mind automatically recalls these stereotypes. This is what leads to things like victim blaming on a micro and macro level, which is a reason why so many sexual crimes manage to go unpunished.

Another psychological reason this material is harmful comes in the form of the illusory truth effect, which describes the brain's tendency to believe things when repeatedly exposed to it, particularly if the information was learned before other contradictory evidence.

This is an issue because the majority of Wattpad users are young, and therefore less likely to have been exposed to discussions and information about heavy topics like rape, incest, and pedophilia. This means they will be conditioned to believe that these things are far less serious than they are, and this puts them in severe danger. If this process sounds at all familiar, then you are probably aware of what grooming is. In essence, these stories work similarly to grooming by exposing young teens to sexual crimes in a non threatening context, which primes their brains to think it's more normal and okay than it is.

I want to speak directly to the authors here: I don't believe you intended to cause harm. That does not mean, however, that you didn't, nor does it mean you are in the right.

To put it bluntly, your stories cover these heavy topics terribly. You do not treat them with the care, nuance, and maturity that they require, and as such, your works come off as extremely offensive to those of us who have suffered these real crimes. I can say, from personal experience, that being assaulted by a guy much older than you when you are a young teen is not in any way sexy. However, that is how it is seemingly framed in your works. Whether that's intentional or just a lack of skill, I don't know, but either way, you clearly are not capable of writing about this subject matter.

And because I know this excuse has already been used, no, being a survivor yourself does not excuse this. Writing vent pieces about your real life experiences is not the same as writing erotic fanfiction, and trying to compare the two is insulting and offensive in the extreme. Your trauma does not excuse your willingness to traumatize others. You do not get to hurt people because "they haven't been exposed to the evils of the world" and "everyone else does it."

Do you know who says shit like that? Abusers and rapists say shit like that. You are perpetuating the cycle of abuse by using these justifications, and it is vile. If you think like this, then you do not deserve a platform or an audience because you clearly do not have enough maturity and human decency to handle that responsibility.

And finally, if you care more about the fact that people are calling you out and "ruining your reputation" than the harm you are causing, then you are the scum of the earth. I truly hope you can reflect on your poor behavior and become a better person because otherwise, you will do a lot of damage to yourself and those around you.

If you disagree with my arguments, then feel free to let me know. Just know that you'd better have more to back up your points than stupid shit like "you're just jealous" because I will rip your comments to shreds.

If you want to link this book to other authors that are doing the same thing, then feel free.

And if you are a survivor like me who has not been believed, just know that I believe you. It happened, and it was not your fault.

~ Avie

These are the sources I used to back up my info:

The Representation of Rape and Sexual Assault Within News Media by Katherine E. Layman

Glamorizing Sexual Assault In Television Needs To Stop by Meg Aprill

How rape culture shapes whether a survivor is believed by Christina Pazzanese