The messages we hear about rape ("she should've known because she went home with him" or "she was wasted and asking for it") only perpetrate the rape culture myth that survivors have a choice and that they should've done something different, Edelstein says. "A lot of the way we blame ourselves comes from society and the messages we hear, but those aren’t accurate," she says. Edelstein says that people engage in victim-blaming dialogue as a form of protection, but that's an unhealthy way to cope with the realities of sexual assault. "Some people say 'Oh, this couldn't happen to me,' to set themselves apart and feel better and safer about the world," she says. Sexual assault happens every 98 seconds, according to The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network ( RAINN) — and it can happen to anyone.