What It Feels Like: Visceral Rhetoric and the Politics of Rape Culture

232 Pages·2021·1.706 MB·English

by  Stephanie R. Larson

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
RDD
RHETORICANDDEMOCRATICDELIBERATION
VVOOLLUUMMEE 1237
edited by cheryl glenn and stephen browne
the pennsylvania state university
Co-f ounding Editor: J. Michael Hogan
Editorial Board:
Robert Asen (University of Wisconsin–Madison)
Debra Hawhee (The Pennsylvania State University)
J. Michael Hogan (The Pennsylvania State University)
Peter Levine (Tufts University)
Steven J. Mailloux (University of California, Irvine)
Krista Ratcliffe (Marquette University)
Karen Tracy (University of Colorado, Boulder)
Kirt Wilson (The Pennsylvania State University)
David Zarefsky (Northwestern University)
Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation focuses on the
interplay of public discourse, politics, and democratic action.
Engaging with diverse theoretical, cultural, and critical
perspectives, books published in this series offer fresh
perspectives on rhetoric as it relates to education, social
movements, and governments throughout the world.
A complete list of books in this series is located at the back
of this volume.
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
Visceral rhetoric and the Politics
of raPe culture
stephanie r. larson
The Pennsylvania State University Press | University Park, Pennsylvania
This volume is published with the generous support
of the Center for Democratic Deliberation at The
Pennsylvania State University.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Larson, Stephanie R. (Stephanie Rae),
1989– author.
Title: What it feels like : visceral rhetoric and the politics of
rape culture / Stephanie R. Larson.
Other titles: Rhetoric and democratic deliberation ; v. 27.
Description: University Park, Pennsylvania : The
Pennsylvania State University Press, [2021] | Series:
Rhetoric and democratic deliberation ; volume 27 |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: “Investigates contemporary and historical
rhetorics of rape culture within institutional, legal,
cultural, and medical discourses. Examines how
discourses about rape rely on strategies of containment
and deny the felt experiences of victims, ultimately
stalling broader claims for justice in the United
States”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021024884 | ISBN 9780271091433
(hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Rape culture—Political aspects—United
States. | Rhetoric—Political aspects—United States.
Classification: LCC HV6561 .L37 2021 | DDC
362.883920973—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021024884
Copyright © 2021 Stephanie R. Larson
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Published by The Pennsylvania State University Press,
University Park, PA 16802–1003
The Pennsylvania State University Press is a member
of the Association of University Presses.
It is the policy of The Pennsylvania State University
Press to use acid- free paper. Publications on uncoated
stock satisfy the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Material,
ansi z39.48–1992.
For Nana

Warning: This book includes graphic depictions of rape and its aftermath
and may be triggering, especially for those who have experienced sexual vio-
lence. Please do what you need to do to take care of yourself while reading.
That might mean reading in a particular location or position, alongside oth-
ers or in privacy; engaging in physical activities like knitting or swaying while
reading; or even pausing at various moments or closing the book entirely.
While I do not intend to know or assume what parts of this book might
be triggering for readers, I want to offer a brief description of what chapters
include some of the more difficult material as a way to help readers prepare
to engage with the book: The introduction includes material about what it
feels like to physically and emotionally live in a rape culture. Chapter 1 con-
cludes with a discussion of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Justice hearing
and his assault of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Chapter 2 concludes with a dis-
cussion of Recy Taylor, who was group raped by six men, and a brief history
of sexual abuse against black women by white men in positions of power.
Chapter 3 includes descriptions of a sexual assault forensic examination—
what is commonly referred to as a “rape kit” or “rape kit exam.” Chapter 4
includes graphic accounts of rape from the public performances of Chanel
Miller and Emma Sulkowicz. Chapter 5 includes testimonies from the Me
Too and #MeToo movements. And finally, the conclusion includes material
from Roxane Gay’s memoir that documents her experience with rape and
living in its aftermath.

Contents
Preface: The Problem with Origin Stories | xi
Acknowledgments | xvii
Introduction: Bodies, Feelings, and the Rhetoric of Rape Culture | 1
1 Sensing the Nation at Risk: Sexual Citizenship and the Meese
Commission | 25
2 The Specter of Patriarchy: Imagining Victims in Bystander Discourse | 57
3 The Proof Is in the Body: Transcending Rhetoric with Rape Kits | 85
4 Disrupting Silence: The Law and Visceral Counterpublicity | 112
5 Taking It All In: #MeToo, Feminist Megethos, and List Making | 136
Conclusion: “I Was Trapped in My Body”: Writing and Living
After Rape | 155
Notes | 163
Bibliography | 183
Index | 201