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Sexual Assault Awareness month is nearly approaching.  I find myself asking what exactly is rape culture?  How did this enter into people’s vernacular?   What does it mean to be living in a rape culture? 
A crucial aspect of the definition of rape is the absence of consent.  Culture has many meanings.  I’ll define it as a full range of learned behaviors and patterns.  The degradation of women becomes the norm through acceptance of misogyny.  In a rape culture images, conversations, and laws validate and perpetrate rape.  Validating rape culture in the media excuses rape and reinforces myths about rape and/or sexualizing rape.  Shaming and silencing survivors of rape allows the perpetrator to ignore the actions and the survivor is left with guilt and shaming.    
Viewing mass media daily through images and advertising becomes naturalized going unquestioned.  This leads to people asking, “Violence against women is still an issue?”  In a rape culture majority of people think this is the way it is and no one can change it or people ignore that it occurs daily at an astonishing rate.  Re-examining advertisements, music, television, laws, macho-masculinity, speech and language are steps that need to be taken. Being surrounded with these images, ideologies, and laws can seem overwhelming and shaming.  Re-examining, creating self-awareness, and naming the problems need to happen to end rape culture.  Instead of teaching girls to not get raped, there has been a shift on telling men to not rape.  What made him think this was acceptable and okay to commit rape?  This is removing the blame on women.
By Gretchen D. Hawker
I came across this article “Ten Things to End Rape Culture.” I suggest you take a look at it: http://www.thenation.com/article/172643/ten-things-end-rape-culture#

Red

Alone, I close the door behind meAnd let the image scatterLet go of the smile, and the frownLet the mask relaxIt has no purpose hereBeyond words and expressionsOnly mePeel back the layers one by oneAnd let them fall to the floorBack before this bodyBefore humanityBefore good and evilThrough naked primal forcesTo when there was only blood.The hot water falls red with itIt is the reddest thing I’ve ever seenThe original, universal, stark against whiteScreaming its vitality as it flows toward the drainI don’t know if it is unclean or powerfulNo differenceIf it is birth or deathThe blood pushed out with a healthy newbornBlood pumping from a man’s chest as his eyes stilledI’ve seen both, and it looked the sameInseparableIn this time, for this moment of every daySuch distinctions do not existUnity running red down my legsThe pain I have suffered, the pain I have causedThe gifts I’ve been givenAnd the gifts I have to giveAll are embodied hereMy lifeNot draining out of meBut effusing from meToo filled with passion to be containedI let the heat engulf me, drum out the tensionFlow over me until the water runs clearAnd step out feelingRenewed
-Lucille Tower

I'll admit something here that may sound a little silly. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reminded me of something very important to Feminism: Female capability can take many forms. It's extremely harmful to the progression of womankind to degrade another female for not being "The right kind" of woman. This was especially important to me because I was wont to look down on other women for being too "cutesy", writing them off as shallow and pedantic.

Which is why I was agog when I heard that Ms. Blog (the online component of Ms. Magazine) ran post claiming MLP was "homophobic, racist and smart-shaming": (My Little Homophobic, Racist, Smart-Shaming Pony) for which the creator of the show, Lauren Faust, wrote a rebuttal (My Little Non-homophobic, Non-racist, Non-smart-shaming Pony: a rebuttal)
(If you only have time to read one, read the second one- Faust makes a lot of great observations about modern feminism and what she calls the "Token girl syndrome" in TV where a female must be everything everyone wants in a women and ultimately makes for a terribly boring character.)

The greater theme overshadowing this exchange is the Feminist Movement and it's identity crisis.  Richter seems to think all the ponies ought to look angry to show they're formidable- But really, should they look angry? Does not appearing defensive mean that they'll be easily bowed over and rendered incapable?

In the past, it may have been necessary to that all Feminists appear on edge- ready to defend their cause - because there was a good chance that their very right to be anything other than a subservient vessel for pleasure or pleasantries would be challenged at any moment. But is that defensiveness necessary now? Maybe. But not toward everyone. Being hostile probably won't win any sympathizers to the movement.

I remember an exchange I had with my estranged mother when she told me that her childhood Mormon mantra for womanhood was "be sweet", and was shocked when I was not particularly offended. Sure, it's not ideal, but sweetness doesn't necessarily bar you from capability. It isn't anymore progressive to say women must be aggressive than it is to say they must be docile. We ought to stop building new boxes for femininity and learn to accept women and girls for who they are.Varied human beings.

-By Elle Kelsheimer

P.S. Another related article: http://jezebel.com/5984756/blonde-self+tanning-essex-teen-girl-has-higher-iq-than-einstein-and-it-sucks-that-everybodys-so-surprised