Despite the fact that it’s 2017, victim-blaming is still very much a part of our culture and how we respond to those who’ve been targets of sexual assault. The person who was attacked is almost always asked what they were wearing, if they strayed from their friends, or if they had been drinking at the time of the assault.
And although these questions at face value may seem innocuous enough, they also suggest that in some capacity the survivor is partially responsible for the assault that they’ve sustained.
Which is a sentiment that was completely shut down by Facebook user Bree Wiseman in this pithy Facebook post.
To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He is eye level with my plate. He won’t get any closer because I told him no. If a dog is better behaved than you are, you need to reevaluate your life. Feel free to share, my dog is adorable.
Her simple post resonated with a lot of people online. It chalked up over 275,000 shares and 133,000 likes.
The Huffington Post spoke with the 22-year-old Wiseman about her viral post, who explained that she made it to spread awareness about how harmful victim-blaming can be.
“The only person to blame in a rape offense is the rapist. It was their decision to rape. People shouldn’t have to worry about what they chose to wear for fear of rape. I want people to see that this is a problem, and to stand together against victim-shaming.”