“She knows she wants it.”
“She wouldn’t get any otherwise, we’re just doing her a favor.”
“Look at what she’s wearing! She’s just asking for it.”
Seriously? At a concert? That’s what you’re going to say to justify yourself when you see girls trying to crowd surf?
It’s common knowledge that crowd surfing and mosh pits aren’t exactly the most comfortable and safest things to participate in at concerts. Whether you’re on top of the crowd or in it, you’re bound to get hurt and bruised. But to have your undergarments ripped off and be forcefully groped and touched isn’t just “not comfortable” or “not safe,” anymore.
It’s sexual assault.
Stage diving and crowd surfing aren’t anything new. Both music artists and their audience members do it. Someone jumps into a crowd hoping to be carried around for a bit and then back to the front of the stage. In an ideal situation, you get bruises on your ribcage, your clothes are disheveled and both shoes are still on your feet. More often than not, that’s not really what happens.
Recently, Rapper Iggy Azalea publicly announced she will no longer be crowd surfing as part of her shows because “people try to finger her.” Afraid of what else her fans might want to do to her, Azalea has put a stop to any attempts altogether by completely cutting that part out of her performance. Ironically enough, it’s mostly female fans that attempt to sexually violate her as they think it’s “cool.”
It’s not.
For anyone to think it’s okay to forcefully put their fingers inside someone’s body when they crowd surf is absurd. Although you know you’re going to get touched and groped when you crowd surf, there is a fine line between being touched and groped to move around a crowd and being touched and groped for someone’s sick pleasure.
Crowd surfers who are sexually assaulted aren’t something new either. Although females are more likely to speak out about it than males, it affects both sexes. This issue has only come to light recently because someone famous has brought attention to it.
Crowd surfing is dangerous, that much is established. But it should be dangerous because you’re trusting complete strangers to carry you around a large crowd, not because you’re afraid you’ll be forcefully groped and have your undergarments ripped off by complete strangers who wrongly assume it’s something you want.