100 Women 2022<\/a> list, which honors some of the most inspiring and influential women across the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cI wrote \u2018Consent Laid Bare\u2019 with the intention of raising peoples\u2019 capabilities to consent,\u201d Contos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book explores a broad spectrum of topics that plague hookup culture, which is considerably prevalent on college campuses. These range from redefining consent beyond its legal definition to emphasize communication and clarify emotional intent, breaking down the societal norms that\u00a0 perpetuate rape culture and assessing stereotypical gender norms \u2014 while focusing on the roles of entitlement and accountability within these discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos\u2019 writing style approaches this heavy subject matter in a conversational format. This makes her lessons easier to comprehend and cultivates a realistic and informed viewpoint through which college students can view their own experiences.<\/p>\n
Her writing speaks in a language that is effortlessly understandable. It feels like a therapeutic debrief with a friend who has only your best interest in mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote it how I speak,\u201d Contos said.<\/p>\n
The differing chapters of the book take its readers on an emotional journey. The beginning chapters, such as \u201cWhat a Rapist Looks Like\u201d and \u201cThe Spectrum of Sexual Violence,\u201d assess identifiers within rape culture. The latter, like \u201cAccountability\u201d and \u201cEmpathy and Entitlement,\u201d provide validation and strive to promote healing after traumatic experiences, while simultaneously furthering education.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos said upon reflection, she believes the most prominent themes of the book are the roles of entitlement and empathy in the lives of perpetrators and victims.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSexual assault occurs when entitlement to another person\u2019s body outweighs their empathy towards that person, and empathy is really the solution I give in the book,\u201d Contos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book originated from Contos\u2019 studies at University College in London.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote my master\u2019s thesis on basically why sexual violence is so prevelant in high income contexts \u2014 in high income countries and in high income spaces \u2014 and entitlement was the answer to that, which is why it ended up being such a theme in the book,\u201d Contos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos, throughout her writing process, endured mass revisions to turn her thesis into what \u201cConsent Laid Bare\u201d turned out to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the actual thesis I did, I was looking into how certain institutions not only uphold gendered power structures, but also colonial power structures and race power structures,\u201d Contos said. \u201cThat continues to breed that same sense of entitlement that results in disproportionate rates of violence coming from small pockets of society.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the launch of her original campaign, Contos posted an Instagram story in which she asked her followers to share their experiences with sexual assault. From this, she said she received over 7,000 testimonials \u2014 most of which were said to be unreported.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This inspired her to further shed light on these stories \u2014 Contos said she used what she took away from these first-hand accounts to further stress the importance of open conversation and unconditional empathy in these cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a really unfortunate but also unique insight into rape culture,\u201d Contos said. \u201cThose are what I really drew on to write the book around, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so relevant and applicable to so many.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos said her book was well-received, especially by those who needed it most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe overwhelming piece of feedback I\u2019ve gotten from victim survivors is that they found it really validating, and healing and really helpful to have really empowering language to describe and articulate reactions and experiences,\u201d Contos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos said that her passion for this subject originates from her belief in the solution being evident.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been really passionate about gender equality. To me, the problem is so clear and the solution is so clear, and it\u2019s just kind of out of frustration,\u201d Contos said. \u201cIf you\u2019re watching someone trying to finish a puzzle and they keep putting the piece in the wrong place and you can see the answer \u2014 I feel like that\u2019s how I feel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The contents explored in the book resonate with college students, as these are the experiences that they will inevitably encounter \u2014 whether it be first-hand or vicariously. It is crucial to build a healthy perspective through which to view and navigate these often uncharted territories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSexual violence is rampant on college campuses,\u201d Contos said. \u201cMale university students and young men are the most common perpetrators of sexual violence. So, this book is insanely necessary for young men, and unfortunately, more women tend to read it.\u201d<\/p>\n
To combat this pattern, the final chapter of the book, \u201cDear Boys and Men,\u201d can serve as a standalone text which readers are encouraged to share with the men in their lives. This chapter is a bold and necessary addition, as it encourages self-reflection within men who have grown up in a society that diminishes their emotions and experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe desperately need boys and men to be active in these conversations if we wish to change the reality of sex for women \u2014 but at the same time, their feelings are valid,\u201d Contos wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contos considers and appeals to all perspectives within the conversation of consent. She not only advocates for reflection on the systematic and interpersonal patterns that have fueled rape culture, but calls for action as well. She highlights what individuals can do in their own lives to combat this cycle, all while promoting awareness and acceptance.<\/p>\n
Through featuring discussion points that are often regarded as uncomfortable, \u201cConsent Laid Bare\u201d makes a statement. If approached with an open mind, this can be a rewarding read for those looking to reflect on and challenge societally-constructed viewpoints \u2014 as well as those eager and willing to learn. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Author Chanel Contos released a revised edition of her book, \u201cConsent Laid Bare: Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":125269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[37212,77035,11033,9600,11460,529,4740,3601,42345,13978,1022,7317,12088,9361,77028,7667,10911,2871,718,69291,77029,3606,4219,392,77032,51903,407,6026,171,77031,72699,44564,37106,25742,6527,55957,67594,73545,7552,563,1815,3068,2676,3597,5976,635,6217,33700,77036,80,1809,77033,12650,35220,27751,77037,10656,1183,77039,2290,77034,11645,39359,10409,1194,15777,645,3314,77038,77030,3302,67,132,4280,68,16966,49253,3086,11108],"class_list":{"0":"post-125268","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-academic","9":"tag-acclaimed","10":"tag-account","11":"tag-activism","12":"tag-advocate","13":"tag-analysis","14":"tag-australia","15":"tag-author","16":"tag-awarded","17":"tag-book","18":"tag-books","19":"tag-boys","20":"tag-campaign","21":"tag-campus","22":"tag-chanel-contos","23":"tag-childhood","24":"tag-class","25":"tag-college","26":"tag-community","27":"tag-consent","28":"tag-consent-laid-bare","29":"tag-conversation","30":"tag-crime","31":"tag-culture","32":"tag-desire","33":"tag-discussion","34":"tag-education","35":"tag-england","36":"tag-entertainment","37":"tag-entitlement","38":"tag-equality","39":"tag-foundation","40":"tag-founder","41":"tag-gender","42":"tag-girls","43":"tag-greek-life","44":"tag-healing","45":"tag-hookup","46":"tag-inequality","47":"tag-instagram","48":"tag-interview","49":"tag-learning","50":"tag-london","51":"tag-memoir","52":"tag-men","53":"tag-new","54":"tag-nonfiction","55":"tag-novel","56":"tag-patriarchy","57":"tag-politics","58":"tag-protest","59":"tag-published","60":"tag-rape","61":"tag-read","62":"tag-reality","63":"tag-reflection","64":"tag-release","65":"tag-research","66":"tag-retelling","67":"tag-review","68":"tag-revised","69":"tag-school","70":"tag-sex-education","71":"tag-sexual-assault","72":"tag-society","73":"tag-statistics","74":"tag-story","75":"tag-survivors","76":"tag-testimonial","77":"tag-testimony","78":"tag-trauma","79":"tag-united-states","80":"tag-unitedstates","81":"tag-university","82":"tag-us","83":"tag-women","84":"tag-writer","85":"tag-young-adult","86":"tag-youth"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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