One of the reasons we have such rampant violence towards women in this culture is the sneaky confusion between someone wanting to respectfully connect with us vs someone wanting ownership over our bodies.
The phrase "getting hit on" should disturb everyone, yet it gets used as a positive idea. This confuses women into thinking we should like and accept it when someone is sexually harassing us without care for our feelings or lack of equal enthusiasm.
Hitting and loving should never be equated. Ever.
Teaching our children (esp our daughters) to be suspicious of people who are aggressive about their interest in our bodies is integral in teaching our kids to know the difference between safe and unsafe potential romantic partners.
Safe people are gentle with their desire and make space for our reactions. They also stop when they sense we are hesitant, or not interested.
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Join the fight against toxic beauty standards and body shaming, especially towards women and girls of color, by watching this inspiring video on how we can do better with the next generation of girls, by focusing on how they feel, what they think and say, and raising them to believe that their body belongs to them and their comments and critique is the problem, not their appearance.
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In this video, you'll learn that hovering over our kids to protect them is not the best form of protection, as they need us to be connected with them so they can come to us as a refuge, and that the best protection we can offer them is connection.
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Teach your kids to ask, "Is this okay?" and look for a clear and enthusiastic yes, even if someone seems reserved or quiet, to ensure that all affection is confirmed and enthusiastic.
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