Woman uses a photo of her dog to successfully prove how rape is not the woman’s fault in powerful post

Consent is quite a basic concept. Don't do something to someone unless they've given you explicit, uncoerced permission first. While this is simple for most, some people just can't seem to wrap their heads around it. Especially when it comes to women and sexual assault. Too often, we hear excuses about what someone wore or whether they were drinking the night that they were sexually assaulted. However, when we place the blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator, we contribute to rape culture. In order to prove this point, Bree Wiseman posted a photo of her dog. Don't worry, it will make sense soon.

Bree took to social media platform Facebook to post a photo of her (adorable!) dog looking at a plate of delicious steak that she was holding. Now, if you know dogs, you know it takes a lot of will power to look at a yum steak without lunging at it. She explained the metaphor in her post. She wrote, "To the people that say women get raped due to the way they are dressed. This is my dog. His favorite food is steak. He is eye level with my plate. He won't get any closer because I told him no. If a dog is better behaved than you are, you need to reevaluate your life. Feel free to share, my dog is adorable."

Needless to say, the post went viral. At present, the photo has over 165,000 reactions and 5,600 comments. It has also been shared over 326,000 times. In an interview with The Huffington Post, Bree shared, "If a 4-year-old pit bull understands the word 'no,' even though he is looking at something he wants so bad he is literally drooling, then adults should understand 'no,' no matter how the other adult is dressed. Appearances shouldn’t make any difference in sexual assault cases. How is it that a simple-minded animal has the ability to understand better than a large part of the adult population?"

She also made sure to explain why placing the blame on the victim is problematic and contributes to rape culture. "The only person to blame in a rape offense is the rapist," she affirmed. "It was their decision to rape. People shouldn’t have to worry about what they chose to wear for fear of rape. I want people to see that this is a problem, and to stand together against victim-shaming." Hopefully, with the help of Bree's viral and educational post, a lot more people will understand why it's important to ask for consent and not blame the victim in cases of sexual assault.