Sexual Assault and Harassment

Healthy relationship and sexual assault prevention policies and rhetoric have shifted to emphasize the importance of obtaining and honoring people's freely given, fully informed permission. However, it is far simpler to have a conversation about permission or to redefine the "no means no" mindset into "yes means yes" than it is to do the essential check-ins that reaffirm one's consent in the private experiences of a sexual engagement, whether with an unfamiliar individual or a long-term partner (Vrangalova, 2016). Despite our progress, I still believe that our culture's conceptualization of consent is problematic because it employs a competitive vocabulary that views permission as something one person possesses and must offer or get from another. This is why TeenVogue's Not Your Fault series is so important; it's aimed at spreading awareness and preventing sexual abuse via education (Vrangalova, 2016). Understanding that establishing and maintaining permission during a sexual encounter may be challenging and uncomfortable, particularly for those with fewer previous experiences, this article provides a variety of possibilities, situations, ideas for language, and action (Vrangalova, 2016). For people and their partners to build systems appropriate for the connections and relations, this article should be paired with others. One such article is 'Why we smile at men who sexually harass us.' Sexual harassment is something most women nowadays may encounter in the course of their daily lives. You don't have to seek hard to uncover instances like this; in fact, most women will have a personal experience of being the target of catcalls, intimidation, or harassment. In the article "Why We Smile at Men Who Sexually Harass Us," the author discusses how women are taught to be extremely nice as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened (Olsen, 2019). But she says this isn't always the case, especially when doing so might amplify an already unpleasant scenario (Olsen, 2019). Therefore, a safe place is necessary since women are coerced into giving up their autonomy, often seen as permission.