What It Feels Like

What It Feels Like: Visceral Rhetoric and the Politics of Rape Culture, Volume 1, is a sociology study that examines the communication failures surrounding sexual violence in the United States. Stephanie R. Larson analyzes how current discourses rely on containment strategies that deny the lived experiences of victims. By exploring the #MeToo movement, forensic kits, and legislative advocacy, the text reveals how language often privileges male perspectives and reinforces systems of power including patriarchy and white supremacy.

Larson challenges the traditional reliance on detached, rationalized discourse and the systemic mistrust of women's testimony. This sociology work argues for the necessity of visceral rhetorics, which prioritize the bodily and material expressions of violation to accurately represent the scale of sexual crimes. The book provides a critical corrective to legal and political frameworks by theorizing bodily feeling as a powerful tool for communication and persuasion.