What Is Rape Anxiety? This Woman Explained It To Her Favorite Men, And They Were Shocked.

Sep 06, 2018 by apost team

Rape is a common topic that comes up in media stories and general conversations among friends and family members. While everyone generally agrees that rape is certainly not acceptable, there are many rape jokes circulating that trivialize the issue and diminish the severity of the situation.

The reality is that most women experience rape anxiety fairly regularly, and men may be shocked to learn that some of their own behaviors are causing women around them to feel this anxiety. 

Some men assume that women feel anxiety about rape when they are in a threatening situation, such as when someone breaks into their home or when a woman is walking on a dark alley at night. These are perhaps some of the more publicized types of rape scenarios, and they may make men feel as though most women do not think about the threat of rape daily. This could not be farther from the truth. 

apost.com

While there are times when a woman is alone with a man in a potentially threatening situation that can inevitably lead to anxiety, the reality is that many women commonly feel a sense of anxiety even in the middle of the day and in very public situations.

For example, women may feel anxious about the possibility of rape when a man rolls down his car window in broad daylight and makes a vulgar comment about her body. A woman sitting in a crowded bar may begin to feel anxious when a man comes on too strong and will not leave her alone after she made her disinterest clear. 

While some men truly have bad intentions in mind, many others are unfortunately causing women to feel rape anxiety unintentionally. Once they learn more about how frequently real women worry about rape in even seemingly safe situations, they may adjust their behavior to make women feel more comfortable.

For example, if a man is walking behind on woman on a fairly empty street and he sees her glancing behind her periodically, there is a good chance that she feels anxious about this situation. When the man observes his impact on her body language, he may cross the street or slow down to create more distance. These are some of the ways that he may reduce her anxiety. 

Another situation may be in a bar, restaurant or other public place when a man tries to pick up a woman. While there is something to be said for persistence, there is a line that can easily be crossed that can lead to a woman feeling harassed and even threatened.

Regardless of how crowded or public the environment is, a man should be observant of a woman’s body language and should take her refusal to heart. When she begins glancing around anxiously or when she is becoming irritated, these are signs that you may be approaching that line or that you may have already crossed it. 

While it is easy for many men to take the “not all men are like that” approach, the reality is that women do not know if you are or are not like that. Regardless of what your actual intentions are, you need to be aware that women may still feel rape anxiety because of your actions.

You have control over your actions, and you can take bold steps to help women around you feel safe and secure.

More than that, you may even step in to help a woman who appears anxious because of the actions of another man. 

Women are unfortunately victimized and violated regularly around the world, and no woman is safe from this type of threat. Women understand the danger, and this can cause intense anxiety in more situations than men may realize. If you have any related experiences or tips, please feel free to leave a comment below.