Before Elsewhere replies...
If I could expand a bit on whats already been posted, well, I once got really angry with a “brother” who made a comment while I was at a book study – I rarely get angry in the KH, I usually bottle it up. He mentioned something in the news about a girl that had got raped in the town centre, where there had been a spate of recent attacks – he mentioned how sad it was, but then he spoilt it all by saying something stupid – he said that “it was no wonder that something like this happens, seeing how the young girls dress and behave out in the town centre streets at night”. He’d obviously been looking vigilantly! After a chorus of, “yes, I know”, and the usual bullsh*t about “worldly” people’s behaviour, I said, “A woman should be able to walk down the street completely naked if she wants to, and not get attacked – I’m sick of hearing this kind of reasoning!” I then walked away and went home. Nothing about it ever got mentioned again in my presence!
Well, he was basically endorsing a very widespread myth amongst Jehovah’s Witnesses, that women who look or act or dress in a certain way are somehow more susceptible to rape. He was in fact blaming every woman who has ever been the victim of a rape by implying that their experiences could have been prevented by altering their own behaviour in some specific way. Although to be honest, I don’t think any staunch JW ever thinks of anything that deeply, so maybe I was a bit mean to snap!
But is rape really a punishment for women who dress really well, or are comfortable showing off certain parts of themselves? It’s a well known fact that appearance is NOT an invitation OR a deterrent of assault, nor is it a woman's fault if an assault occurs, whether she is wearing sexy or revealing clothes, or even an old flowery dress and cardigan and American tan tights (much beloved of Elderettes) – but most JWs still perpetuate this myth, which is substantiated very clearly in WT publications! It is made so clear to sisters what they shouldn’t wear – and the society’s books and magazines waste no time in their misogynistic blame transference. This so called “brother” was way out of line, giving credence to those old-fashioned rape myths that have made it so difficult for so many victims of sexual assault.
Just my 2 cents!