Poster #80 - Beyond the “Perfect Victim:” Survivor Perceptions of Offender characteristics through a Rape Culture Theoretical Framework

• In Event: Poster Session II (posters 80 – 155)

Abstract

Research examining sexual assault reporting has historically focused on characteristics of the “ideal victim,” often demonstrating that victims whose experiences align with stereotypical rape narratives are perceived as more credible and worthy of institutional intervention. Far less attention, however, has been devoted to the inverse process: how survivor perceptions of offender characteristics shape decisions to report or seek help following sexual victimization. Drawing from 58 qualitative interviews with survivors of sexual victimization across the United States, the present study explores how offender characteristics impacted victims' help-seeking decisions. Preliminary thematic analysis suggests that survivors frequently assessed offender “fit” with common rape culture myths.

Authors

• Autumn Jane Voegerl, Ball State University

• Brittany L. Acquaviva, Ball State University