We Must Stop the Silence

NO is a powerful word, but I wonder if we are saying it enough.

When we were whistled at on the street, did we say no?
When someone “accidentally” touched our breast or our ass, did we say no?
When our boss or colleague stared a little too long at our cleavage, did we say no?
When a stranger gave us an “up/down” and then finally a smile, did we say no?

I didn't.

I remained silent.
I let it slide.
I told myself, “It’s not a big deal.”
I chose not to rock the boat.
I chose comfort over courage.

Now, I fear that my silence was interpreted as permission.
I fear that I unknowingly “taught” men that it was okay.

Your silence has too.

Women have been trained to keep quiet. We have been trained to acquiesce our needs for the needs of others. We have been trained to look pretty, to not speak our mind, and to serve.

It was our way of survival for thousands of years, but it can’t be any longer.

We must stop the silence.

We are getting louder.
We are getting stronger.
We are becoming more courageous.

From Brock Turner’s barely-there conviction, to Trump’s “locker room talk”, we are gaining momentum.

We need to keep the momentum going.

Past the election, past the naysayers and the #repealthe19th tweeters, and into a future we are proud of creating for our daughters.

A future where men don’t think of just rape as being wrong, but know that all sexually implicit and explicit words and behavior are wrong.  

Where all men treat all women with dignity and respect, no matter what they look like, or what they wear, or even if they drink too much.

To use the words of Michelle Obama, “This is not something that we can ignore. It’s not something we can just sweep under the rug.”

We must start with the basics.

We must address the cat-calls.
We must address the whistles.
We must address the stares.
We must address the "up/downs".
We must address the put-downs.

We must address it all.
We must address it together.

We must stop the silence.

We are worth it.

It's Your Life. Live It Boldly. 

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