Mythology

ever want to face that person again,”Gaga said on The Me You Can’t See. Even though she will talk about her experience, she still is very scared to mention who it was just because of the trauma she still faces years later. This is one of the reasons so many victims don’t feel comfortable coming out about their experiences. They have so much fear and trauma and don’t know how people will respond. Getting hate or not being believed is something that will only add to the hard times that these victims are trying to get through.

Terry Crews, an actor from the show Brooklyn Nine-Nine, came out about his experiences of being groped by a male agency executive at a Hollywood party. He saw so many people meeting women’s claims of sexual assult with skeptisizm and claiming they just wanted to be famous. When being interviewed about the topic, Crews said “I literally was like, “That’s not what this is about at all. This is not how it works.” Crews was also met with a backlash after coming out about what happened to him. When talking about the situation, comedian D.L. Hughley said “God gave you muscles, so you can say no.”

Actor James Van Der Beek was also assaulted by other men while working. Van Der Beek addressed the situation on Twitter where he said “I understand the unwarranted shame, powerlessness and inability to blow the whistle. There’s a power dynamic that feels impossible to overcome,” Having to come out and speak against or possibly face the person who overpowered you can be extremely intimidating and make you feel like you have no power against them. Victims can also be uncomfortable coming out about these things because they feel shame for what has happened to them, even if it wasn’t consensual.

Similar to the semi-colon tattoo for suicide survivors, sexual assault victims will get a Medusa tattoo. Medusa is known for warding off evil and protecting people. For victims, Medusa symbolizes strength and survival of what they have been through. It shows the endurance they have through the recovery of a tough situation. Recent TIk Tok videos have gone viral about getting a Medusa tattoo. With the power of social media, these videos are educating society about the reality of sexual assault.

While many resources and movements have been created for victims, there is always more progress to be made. “As a society I think we need to be more open minded about victims coming out about their experiences,” senior Addison Stopher said. Sometimes when people share their experiences they are often downplayed. People are quick to make assumptions about the situation. Stopher thinks that this is the main problem when it come to sexual assult. Victims feel that they aren’t taken seriously so they don’t even come out about it.

Men experience sexual violence in their lifetime.