Transform Your Life Through Feminism
I’ve had this experience a million times. It’s one of the complicated realities that come along with being a progressive-minded person. The jokes just aren’t as funny anymore. When we can see the humanity behind the people who these jokes target, and when we understand the implications of the privileged laughing at the marginalized, we lose our ability to laugh at their expense.
Rape jokes are just not funny. They can be traumatizing and anyone around you may be a survivor without you knowing it. To see why these jokes continue, we need to understand how sexual violence is made insignificant and normalized, the ways we contribute to rape culture, and how to address people who make them. And most importantly, we need to take care of ourselves when it happens.
No one wants to think about the sexual abuse of children, particularly involving their own kids. But it’s a devastating reality that too many children face, and we help no one when we avoid it. We must be educated in order to be prepared to help the survivors – your kids, your nieces and nephews, your friends’ kids. So here’s a breakdown of what is it and what to do if a child is being abused.
For as feminist as I am, and for as committed to appreciating every body at every size, and as interested as I am to redefining my own understanding of health, I too fall into the trap of shaming my body for having flesh and weight. And my guess is that I’m not alone. So here are some ways to get into a loving frame of mind toward your body and exercising
There isn’t a person on this planet who can say that they have never reacted on pure emotion when it may have been more appropriate to first take a deep breath and to calm down before reacting. But that takes a certain skill set that most of us haven’t yet mastered. Here are a few helpful acronyms to remember and to practice as we find the best ways to handle our emotions.
Menstruation. That dirty little secret that half the population is expected to keep. That shameful reality that we take extreme measures to avoid. It’s completely reasonable that one might not enjoy having their period, but there’s no reason periods need to be shamed. Let’s redefine the cultural narrative around menstruation and celebrate it as natural, beautiful, and powerful!
As social creatures, we thrive in community and rely on each other for our very survival and use empathy to connect and build that community. But we train empathy out of our bodies by shielding our eyes to what we do not want to see – ignoring the raw humanity and need that is right in front of us, that would make us ache if we would only let it. This has an impact on us as individuals and as a community.
While there are many glaring examples of rape culture, there’s also a covert nature to rape culture that often goes unnoticed. We must also look beyond the overt ways in which rape apologia exists and recognize exactly how it sneaks into our everyday life. So let’s look at some pervasive and normalized parts of society that contribute to it and what you can do about it in your life.
Imagine your friend just told you they had been sexually assaulted. You may not know what to do, what to say, or how to respond. But you know the way you respond can have a huge impact on your friend and you want to be supportive of them during their healing process. So here are some tips to support them with sensitivity and grace. (Trigger Warning)
The world can be an exhausting place. We’re often told to do self-care “stuff” as if it was easy or as if they were enough to undo a day’s worth of stress. But at the same time, when you give and give, there will be nothing left if you don’t put something back. So here are ways to think about self-care that will work for you so you’ll have the energy to show up fully in your life.
