Loose Women has been criticised for running a poll asking whether it is “ever a women’s fault if she is raped”.
The vote came this morning following a discussion on the panel show following comments made by Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde.
Herself a victim of sexual assault at the hands of an American motorcycle gang when she was 21, she told the Sunday Times victims have to “take responsibility”.
“If I'm walking around in my underwear and I'm drunk, who else's fault can it be?“ she told the newspaper.
An introduction to the poll on Loose Women’s website said Hynde had been “criticised” and went on to ask: “If I'm walking around in my underwear and I'm drunk? Who else's fault can it be?”
POLL: After Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde's comments- we're asking is it ever a woman's fault if she is raped? http://t.co/raAGqzKpYH
— Loose Women (@loosewomen) September 1, 2015
The result was an overwhelming “no” vote, with almost 88 per cent of respondents saying victims were never to blame and just 12 per cent saying they could be.
But commentators on Twitter slammed it as “unacceptable” and “dangerous”, accusing Loose Women of encouraging victim blaming.
“How in hell did you consider this an acceptable poll to run?” one person wrote, while another argued that the same question would never be asked for other violent crimes. Daytime TV controversies
One post on Twitter said: “What's the next poll: 'Is it ever a woman's fault that her fella beats her?'. Dangerous myth-propogation."
Another commentator said: “This is incredibly irresponsible and victim blaming. There must have been a better way to discuss this.”
As another person summed it up: “Rapists rape, rapists are at fault for raping, rapists should stop raping, just stop raping people.”
Read more: Comment: Being raped is not women's fault
Chrissie Hynde says rape victims should 'take responsibility'
Here are some of the comments:
People make me sick. @loosewomen are asking if it's ever the rape victims fault? That's not even a question, that's just offensive and awful
— Mrs TeePot (@MrsTeepot) September 1, 2015
Dear @loose women it is NEVER ok to ASK if a woman is at fault for rape. Only the rapists are responsible for raping, period.
— Nicola Mitchell (@mitchellnicola) September 1, 2015
Rapists rape, rapists are at fault for raping, rapists should stop raping, just stop raping people https://t.co/qG4b3wOszO
— Hoochie Herbivella (@herbivella) September 1, 2015
Instead of teaching girls not to drink or dress how they wish why don't we teach men not to rape #loosewomen @loosewomen
— Amy Bredin (@aymeebredin) September 1, 2015
@loosewomen This is incredibly irresponsible and victim blaming. There must have been a better way to discuss this.
— Danielle (@DanielleSCW) September 1, 2015
*ITV production meeting*
"How can we trivialise the subject of rape this week then?"
"Phone poll on Loose Women?"
....
"Brilliant. Pub?"
— Andy Gilder (@AndyGilder) September 1, 2015
A spokesperson for ITV's Loose Women said: “Loose Women is a daily talk show centred around topical debate, and this online poll and the discussion on today's Loose Women panel was directly linked to a recent news story."
