First of all, this is not an update. I apologise for that.
Nextly, I need to write this PSA.
Days ago, I added a book on my private library and I had followed that author on Instagram too. It was a story of a sex worker who was bought from a brothel by some man and then she falls in love with him.
Let's me be honest, the premise sounded good and I wanted to read it but I never got around to reading it because I was busy and today, holy hell!
Today I saw a reel from the author about how the ML forcefully marries and r*pes the FL and then he changed and how now he worships his wife.
Yeah the one he r*ped.
And then the author saw my insta stories and she replied how she already gave a CNC warning.
So first of all, there is no such thing as Consensual Non-Consent. Consent mean agreeing to something and does not particularly mean only acts related to sex.
Non-Consent is disagreeing to something and not just particularly sexual acts.
CNC is a term mostly used in fiction and also in kink circles where someone who has r*pe fantasises can fulfill their kinks in a safe manner.
Now CNC in fiction is used interchangeably for r*pe. And I honestly am against it. I don't have anything against the kink community.
How is it CNC when someone buys you and r*pes you? Consent is yes, Non-Consent is no, anything done non-consenually is r*pe.
R*pe is crime in India and most parts of the world. Can you just imagine the trauma that someone goes through when they're r*ped? It's unimaginable.
When we write such books and honestly I blame readers too, when you read such books, you're romanticising it. You're glorifying it and you're setting a precedent that it's okay when it's a husband, it's okay when it's someone you like, it's okay if you fall in love with them.
R*PE IS NEVER OKAY. IT IS NEVER EVER OKAY.
And to think that the FL was a sex worker. Almost all sex workers in India get r*ped by their pimps, by their clients, by the police, etc etc. their grievances are dismissed because they're sex workers.
People all around the world argue that sex workers can't complain about getting r*ped because they already sell their body.
R*pe is not about love. It's not about lust. It's about power. When you write and read scenes which glorify r*pe, it also makes sure all these cases are dismissed.
Stories you read and write don't exist in a vaccum. They are impacted by society and they will impact society.
The author told me, have you never read Colleen Hoover, I have not. Y'all wanna know why? Because I read of the news about how her son sexually assaulted a girl and she tried to cover it up with money. Your money is blood money now.
When I read it, I understood that a woman who doesn't understand consent surely wouldn't teach her son the same too.
I feel pity that you all are so young and getting influenced by such toxicity on Wattpad. The author has thousands of readers and they all love the ML. The man is a r*pist.
The author told me he gets punished and he pays for it. I asked her if the r*pist dies or if he's in jail because that's the real punishment you get in India and she says he paid for it.
I'm sure the payment is him grovelling and her forgiving. That's exactly what romanticising is. There are many cases in India where a r*pe survivor is made to marry her r*pist in order to appease her. How is spending a lifetime with someone who violated you, a punishment for a r*pist?
There is no other crime which is excused. You never say robbery being excused as consensual robbery.
And to think to excuse r*pe in a country like India where every minute 3 women are are r*ped, it is highly problematic to glorify it. This sets a dangerous precedent that r*pe which was done non-violently is okay but no, anyone infringing upon your autonomy is wrong.
It also puts out a tone that only women are r*ped and a man can never r*pe someone because they find pleasure in it. This makes sure that male victims don't come forward when they're sexually assaulted.
As a reader and a writer, when you read and write such books, it contributes to such problems and when an actual r*pe case occurs, we are surprised when we contribute a lot to r*pe culture.
Still today, we are fighting to criminalise marital r*pe in India because our society believes that a husband has a right to satisfy himself even when he violates his wife's autonomy.
As a reader, please do better. As a writer, I'm not at all telling you to not write about r*pe. I'm telling you not to glorify it.
India is known as the r*pe capital around the world. Isn't it shameful? Don't you want to change it?
I do. I want it to not be labelled as such. I write stories where such acts are not rewarded. You can too.
You can read such stories. I know the allure of toxic romances is irresistible to youngsters. But that's not why you like toxic romances. I urge you to reflect on why you do like it and elevate your life.
Thanks.