Writer Confronts Sons About Rape Culture After Cornell Seven Case
In a Vogue essay, a writer and mother of two sons recounts her high school sexual assault and explains why she now shares her story amid the Cornell Seven case. She describes being assaulted at a house party after drinking two-and-a-half Coors Lights, waking to a stranger who left without a word. For decades she hid the trauma, which affected her relationships and mental health. She cites a 2015 survey showing 1 in 5 women experience completed or attempted rape. Her husband, Alex, is gentle and shares family responsibilities. She worries about misogynistic language her middle-school son and his friends use, such as 'chopped,' and wants her sons to understand that rape happens everywhere, often between acquaintances. She emphasizes that words and actions have lasting consequences and that she wants her children to know where she stands.
Key facts
- The author was sexually assaulted in high school at a house party after consuming two-and-a-half Coors Lights.
- She kept the assault secret for nearly three decades, not telling even her therapists.
- A 2015 survey found that 1 in 5 women will experience completed or attempted rape in their lifetime.
- She is a mother of two sons and a writer focusing on women's health issues.
- Her son and his friends used the Gen Alpha slang term 'chopped' to describe a girl, prompting a conversation about language.
- She is motivated to speak out by the ongoing Cornell Seven case and a movement of sexual assault survivors sharing their stories.
- Her husband, Alex, is described as gentle and sensitive, and he shares domestic and emotional responsibilities.
- She wants her sons to understand that rape can happen anywhere, including between people who know each other.
Entities
Artists
- Tori Amos
- Tom Petty
Institutions
- Vogue
- Cornell University
Locations
- Vermont
- United States