Justice

Reactions to Blac Chyna's 'GMA' Interview Shows Victim-Blaming is Still a Thing

July 10th 2017

The victim-blaming in Rob Kardashian's blast of revenge porn on Blac Chyna needs to stop.

The reality star has done his share of attacking his exes for reportedly cheating and other behavior over the past several years. However, his recent outburst against the mother of his daughter, Dream, has led many to review their local revenge porn laws.

On July 5, the Arthur George sock company owner accused Chyna of cheating in a Instagram and Twitter rant where he posted several nude photos of her without her permission, in addition to making claims of her using drugs and getting plastic surgery.

Angela "Blac Chyna" White appeared on "Good Morning America" Monday to discuss how the release of the explicit photos and Kardashian's behavior changed her life.

But a lot of people on twitter were not here for it, with a slew of victim-blaming thrown Chyna's way.

There was some backlash from people on Twitter, too, when Chyna said in the interview that she "was devastated" and "felt betrayed."

Chyna’s past risqué photos that she's shared on her social media accounts and her past as a stripper have become the foundation for people to blame and shame her, while justifying Kardashian’s actions.

Victim-blaming plays into rape culture when sexual assault and domestic violence victims get blamed for an assault by the perpertrator based on their behavior, or lack there of, while the perpetrator is excused from their actions.

The Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness explained that making statements like: “She provoked him,” “They both have problems,” or “She should’ve never done X, Y, or Z,” places the victim at fault for the actions of the harasser or abuser. In reality, to assault or abuse someone is always the abuser’s choice.

Why do we blame the victim?

The Center also added that the psychology of victim or survivor blaming usually stems from wanting to place a barrier of reassurance in place of sympathy and action by adding the following:

"One reason people blame a victim/survivor is to distance themselves from an unpleasant occurrence and this gives a false sense that this could not happen to them. By labeling or accusing the victim/survivor, others can see the victim/survivor as different from themselves."

We can stop victim-blaming almost immediately by taking a step back and having empathy for someone sharing their story of abuse, pain, or heartache.

Chyna ended her interview stating that since Kardashian doesn't respect her, he'll respect the law. She explained that she hopes women everywhere recognize that they're not the only one who go could be going through this sort of ordeal.

“I just like to say something to all the women out there – you’re not the only one that’s probably going through something," she said. "I feel as though if one person speaks up hopefully it will be a domino effect.”