Victoria Ahamed/The Washington Post).

Some of the women who have testified, however, told their stories with a distinct lack of self-awareness.

“To those who have come forward and reported crimes to the police, I wish I were one of you,” L.L. Bean wrote on its website. “I wish I was smarter than I am … I wish I could understand the situation you have found yourself in.”

It’s the kind of bravado that is, frankly, not even wrong.

To those who have come forward and reported crimes to the police, I wish I were one of you. — l.l. bean (@l.l.bean) April 26, 2017

I wish I could understand the situation you have found yourself in. I wish I was smarter than I am. — l.l. bean (@l.l.bean) April 26, 2017

For all the people who have shared their stories on Facebook and Twitter, I wish I was one of you too — the ones who are struggling with it — the ones who are not trying to hide behind the anonymity of the internet and the anonymity of the internet age. — l.l. bean (@l.l.bean) April 26, 2017

I wish I could understand the situation you have found yourself in. I wish I was smarter than I am. — l.l. bean (@l.l.bean) April 26, 2017

For all the people who have shared their stories on Facebook and Twitter, I wish I was one of you too. -J — l.l. bean (@l.l.bean) April 26, 2017

But in my experience, the victims who come forward have been aware of this pressure for some time.

“I feel like the victims who have come forward to me have been talking about what feels like a long time,” said Laura R. Brown, a professor of criminology at the University of Tulsa. “I would think that for them, the pressure is already there. ‘What are you going to do? Are you going to just get raped? Are you going to do nothing?’ They’re in a vulnerable position. But then you don’t know if the system is fair. Are you going to speak up, or are you going to remain silent?’ If you remain silent, you haven’t yet decided whether you are going to speak up.”