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An Open Letter to the People Who Do Not Know.

 CONTENT WARNING: CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENT AND MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS. 


Are you a victim of sexual assault?


If yes, I am deeply sorry for all of the heartache, sleepless nights, triggers, and healing you have had to endure. Everyone copes with it much differently, and I am so sorry that you had to go through that. We are survivors, and I hope you find peace someday.


If not, you have no idea what it is like. Our bodies are our own, and no one should ever do anything to jeopardize our bodies. When someone makes a selective decision to take advantage of you for their pleasure, it damages so much. You suddenly feel as though your dignity is stripped entirely away from you. You lay there helplessly, wanting to scream for help, but fear takes over. You can’t cry, and you can’t even scream. You cannot say anything. Your body goes into complete shock, and you freeze at that moment. Once it is over, you have no idea what to do, say, or think. You probably did not fathom what happened to you right away.


 The aftermath might be worse than the actual doing of it. You have to go about your day with sudden new triggers that may overwhelm you. People see you as helpless, weak, or even just a victim. You feel trapped within this body you were given, and all you want to do is escape and crawl out of your skin. You blame yourself for letting it happen to you like you did nothing to stop it. Maybe you were asking for it? Maybe what you were wearing was too revealing or enticing, and you came on too strong to them? These are lies—all of it. 


So, if you are not a victim of sexual assault, you do not truly understand what it is like to live life day-to-day. You do not know what it is like to wake up and not honestly know what day you will have. You do not understand the emotional and mental damage that some insensitive person did. You do not understand, and I hope you never have to experience it. 

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