Researchers examining Facebook comments on news articles about sexual assault in the Deep South of the United States have found that rape myths—false beliefs that excuse perpetrators and blame victims—continue to dominate online discussions. In a study published in Deviant Behavior, they analyzed over 450 comments and discovered that two-thirds of the responses supported traditional rape myths. While some comments showed encouraging support for victims, the study highlights the continued cultural barriers to fully addressing sexual violence in this region.
Rape myths are false beliefs about sexual assault that blame the victim, excuse the perpetrator, or downplay the seriousness of the crime. Despite ongoing efforts to combat these harmful attitudes, they remain prevalent in many parts of the world, including the United States. In this study, researchers focused on the Deep South, a region typically defined as including states like Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Known for its deeply rooted conservative and religious values, the Deep South has a cultural landscape that could influence public attitudes about sexual violence. The researchers sought to understand whether support for rape myths in this area remains widespread, despite growing national awareness of these issues.
“I’ve been working with sexual assault response organizations for decades and most interested in the importance of cultural changes (e.g. belief in rape myths) needed to end sexual violence. I’ve also noticed more people challenging rape myths, especially since the #MeToo movement. I wanted to see if that filtered down to the Deep South,” said study author Tina Deshotels, a professor of sociology at Jacksonville State University and co-author of Crime and Deviance: Understanding Problems, Constructing Solutions.
To explore these attitudes, the researchers focused on comments posted on Facebook in response to local news articles about sexual assault. Facebook was chosen because it is one of the most widely used social media platforms, especially in rural areas, and encourages users to share their thoughts and opinions, often without much self-censorship. The comments were gathered from 32 news articles published by two local news outlets between 2015 and 2020. The researchers searched for articles that contained key terms such as “rape” and “sexual assault” and excluded those that had fewer than 50 comments or did not directly pertain to adult sexual violence. Child sexual abuse cases were also excluded, except for instances of statutory rape involving significant age gaps.
After collecting over 2,600 comments, the researchers filtered out irrelevant responses, like personal disagreements or people tagging others. This left them with 455 relevant comments, which were analyzed in multiple rounds of coding.
In the first round, the researchers applied a deductive approach by using an established framework based on a widely accepted rape myth scale. They categorized the comments into traditional rape myths such as “She asked for it,” “She lied,” “He didn’t mean to,” and “It wasn’t really rape.” For comments that did not fit these categories, the researchers created an “Other” category, which was further examined in a second round of coding.
During the second phase, the researchers employed an inductive approach, allowing them to develop new categories based on recurring themes that emerged from the comments. This process helped them refine the “Other” category into specific subcategories, such as blaming others, questioning the timing of the victim’s accusation, and showing sympathy for the accused.
Finally, the researchers grouped the comments into two broad categories: those that undermined the victim and those that supported the victim. This approach provided a structured way to analyze the diverse range of public opinions expressed in the comments.
The majority of the comments (72 percent) undermined the victim in some way. Many of these comments repeated traditional rape myths, with the most common being accusations that the victim lied (27 percent) or that the victim was somehow responsible for the assault (13 percent). For instance, some commenters argued that victims were fabricating their stories for political gain or personal fame, while others suggested that women who dress provocatively or put themselves in risky situations are to blame for their victimization.
Interestingly, the researchers found that political beliefs played a significant role in shaping public opinion about sexual assault. Some commenters claimed that accusations of sexual assault were part of a larger political agenda, particularly in cases involving well-known public figures.
One commenter implied that women were lying about being assaulted to damage the reputation of a politician, framing their accusations as part of a political conspiracy. This type of response was more common in cases where the alleged perpetrator was a prominent political figure, reflecting the intersection of rape myths with political conservatism in the Deep South.
Another common theme in the comments was sympathy for the accused. Some commenters argued that the accused were being unfairly judged and that their lives were being ruined by false allegations. In statutory rape cases, for example, several comments suggested that the accused men should not be held fully accountable because the underage victims “looked older” or were willing participants in the sexual activity. These comments absolved the accused of responsibility by shifting the blame onto the victim for misleading the perpetrator.
Religious themes played a notable role in the comments, often being used to justify or excuse the behavior of those accused of sexual assault or to criticize the victims. Some commenters invoked religious rhetoric to argue for forgiveness of the accused, suggesting that people, including those guilty of sexual misconduct, should be given a chance to repent and change. One comment, for example, referenced a politician accused of assault, stating that “God has done a work in his life” and that he should be forgiven and continue to receive support.
Others framed women’s behavior as problematic through a religious lens, implying that victims were to blame for their assaults due to not adhering to traditional gender roles, with one commenter advising women to be in church instead of participating in society.
Deshotels was particularly surprised by “people relying on religion to justify and/or excuse rape, for example, the ‘ladies you should be in church right now’ comment.”
Despite the prevalence of victim-blaming, a significant minority of comments (28 percent) supported the victim. These comments often challenged rape myths by highlighting the reasons victims might delay reporting their assault or by explicitly calling out other commenters for victim-blaming. Some comments focused on educating others about the legal definition of rape, especially in statutory rape cases where the victim was underage. A few commenters also urged others to be mindful of their language, pointing out that their words could be read by survivors of sexual assault and could contribute to their revictimization.
“While there is still a good bit of rape myth acceptance in the Deep South, there are also a significant number of comments that challenge victim blaming, support victims, and attempt to educate the public,” Deshotels told PsyPost. “These findings can be used in targeted educational campaigns that take into account the context of specific communities.”
While this study sheds light on the public’s attitudes toward sexual assault in the Deep South, it has some limitations. The study only looked at comments on Facebook, which may not fully capture public opinion in this region. The researchers noted that people might self-censor in public forums or delete comments after posting them, which could skew the results. Finally, the study focused exclusively on cases where the victim was assigned female at birth, so it did not explore how rape myths might play out in cases involving male victims.
Given these limitations, the researchers suggested several avenues for future research. One important area is to examine how gender stereotypes about men and women shape the acceptance of rape myths in cases where the victim is male. This would help provide a more comprehensive understanding of how different gender dynamics influence public opinion about sexual violence.
Additionally, future research could explore how race intersects with rape myth acceptance, especially in the Deep South, where racial tensions have historically been high. Although race was not a focus of this study, a few comments implied that the treatment of victims and perpetrators might differ based on their race.
“Reading online comments can be emotionally difficult work,” Deshotels said. “It was at times heartbreaking to see victims being blamed and at other times heartening to see the outpouring of support.”
The researchers hope that their findings can be used to inform community-focused education programs aimed at dismantling rape myths, supporting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable.
The study, “‘Ladies I Hope You are in Church Right now’: Exploring Rape Myths from Social Media Comments in the Deep South,” was authored by Taylor Ellis, Sarah Donley, Tina H. Deshotels, and Ashley Anderson.
