Cultural Perceptions of Sexual Violence: Bar Culture and Crime

• In Event: Media and Sexual Violence

Abstract

The relationship between alcohol and sexual assault has been well documented by researchers, and bars and drinking establishments have increasingly been taking steps to raise awareness around bystander intervention. Additionally, the act of buying or receiving a drink from a stranger in a bar is one that has been culturally framed through media and music as a mutual exchange, and an integral part of heterosexual dating culture. This work aims to explore the relationship between dating expectations and norms around buying and receiving drinks, and one's personal safety. Specifically, through the use of qualitative survey and semi-structured interview data, this work investigates the meaning people attach to buying or receiving drinks from strangers in bars, and how this meaning shapes their perceptions of fear, safety, and violence. Results are exploratory and aimed at revealing the relationship between these socially constructed dating norms and sexual violence.

Authors

• Mikaela Wallin, Michigan State University

• Roberta Liggett, Michigan State University