rape culture & body shaming

Lets talk about feminism. I could just direct you my "feminista" pinterest page (because frankly, it's awesome, and you should probably check it out.)

Lets talk about rape culture, body shaming, mommy shaming and sexism.

Because odds are if you're reading this you, like me, have a vagina. Or your wife, mother, sister, girlfriend or friends have a vagina. And thats why this stuff should matter to you.

Lets start with the basics.

Women are people. Men are people. Just because they have different parts, does not mean that one is better than the other.

Here are some things to think about.

 

We live in a rape culture. Rape Victims are shamed on college campuses, and discouraged/forced from talking about it publicly. People still ask "what was she wearing/what was she drinking/was she walking alone?" when they hear about a rape. Robin Thicke's summer hit was "blurred lines," a song that is easily not about consent. (trigger warning) This website shows rape victims holding signs of what their rapists said- that perfectly coincide with the lyrics of Robin Thicke's song.

 In 31 states, a rapist can sue for custody of a child that was the result of rape. Thirty One.

51% of boys from 11-14 think thats it's acceptable to force sex if they spent a lot of money.

Only 1 state allows for consent to be rescinded after sex has begun.

Until the 1930's only white women could be victims of rape. 

Marital rape was not a crime until 1993.

Politicians think women can't get pregnant from rape. (Between 25,000-32,000 pregnancies result from rape each year.)

Less than 1/2 of rapes are reported. 12% result in arrests. 9% are prosecuted. 5% are convicted. And 3% serve 1+ days in jail.

Those are just some of the more prevalent facts. 

Body Shaming. 

I don't own a scale. I don't weight myself anymore.

I had an eating disorder when I was TEN years old. 

I know that I'm overweight, the media tells me everywhere I turn. I try very hard to not beat myself up about it. I try very hard to accept myself. I try to be happy with myself. I have an amazing body! 

I can walk, breathe, talk, see, speak, sing, shout, eat, taste & smell. 

I can cuddle up to Andrew. I can smile & laugh. I can carry my niece, and hold hands and hug. 

I have some extra weight on my waist. I don't look like the girls on TV, pinterest, or in the magazines. And you know what? Neither do they.

I can take pride in the fact that I have some awesome curves. I have great calves. And yeah, my thighs touch. But it makes my butt look awesome. My stomach is bigger than I'd like, but when I look at it in relation to my breasts, I'm ok with it. My cheeks are so big that my eyes squint when I smile. Thats ok too. 

I refuse. I refuse to punish myself, or to freak out over a spare pound or a stray hair that I find not on my head. I refuse to put myself down, and accept it as the norm for other people to do it to themselves.

We teach our daughters how to view themselves. 

42% of girls in the 1st-3rd grade want to be thinner.

81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat.

These girls should be worrying about dolls and homework. Not their bodies. 

Start a revolution, stop hating your body. Start loving it.

Also, if you like poetry. Watch this video from upworthy.com It's one my favorite things at the moment.

So I didn't get to talk about everything. But it's 2am, and I'm tired so I'm ending it here.
Goodnight all!