B**** Face

B**** Face

Social Problem
I aim to address the fear of sexual assault women experience on an everyday basis, regardless of whether there is an immediate threat. The purpose of bringing to light these everyday fears is meant to remind us that it is our basic human right to feel safe, but the threat of sexual violence infringes on this basic right.

Personal Connection
       When I was growing up I didn't feel safe walking down the street. From the age of 12 I was hyper aware that there were men in the world who wouldn't think twice to cause me harm. This created a very real fear of men for me when I was a kid. I didn't understand what sexual violence was, but the looks I would get left a very nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach that warned me I wouldn't always be safe. In order to heed that warning, I developed mechanisms to protect myself from being prey. This included furrowing my brow to repel attention, talking back, and in some cases being physically aggressive. These mechanisms have followed me into my adult life because they're still needed. The world I live in isn't any less dangerous. My scowl became a part of my face, it was my identity- a mask I was unaware was permanently attached to my face. This mask is something many women are unaware they possess. Not because it is hidden but because we do not create safe spaces for women to discuss these topics. As women we are expected to quietly live with the fears and experiences we have collected throughout our lives. I am no longer chained to my mask, but the fear and hyper vigilance I adopted as a child remains. I am not my experiences, but my experiences have made me the empowering woman I am today. I want to give women this same ownership of their experiences in order to empower and heal.


Intro

       We all enter the world as screaming infants, without any pre-conceived notion of limitations. Although we are all born seemingly equal, we are ascribed roles at birth. Our gender is equated to a predisposition  for the way will grow, learn, and live. It is the difference between toy cars and barbies, blue and pink, sports and dance. They appear as silly things that ascribe meaning to our gender. Phrases like, “He does that because he likes you”, “That’s not lady-like”, and my favorite “Boys will be boys”; are long existing programming phrases that teach children what is expected and acceptable behavior. However, these gendered socializations eventually become; “locker room talk” or “ she was asking for it”. I am not implying that all men and women have been socialized with these exact phrases, but that the behaviors these phrases perpetuate shape our understanding of the world. It is this very understanding that has lead us to normalize and minimize sexual violence- as was seen by the election of our celebrity in chief. A normalization that is expressed on the faces of the female community on a day to day basis.

Reasearch
       According to Article III of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. Article III outlines the most basic right a person should possess- a life free of harm. However, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (2016); 431,840 sexual assault/rapes were reported in 2015 in the U.S. by women 12 years or older . Women have the right to exist without the fear of violence, but in order to address this issue at hand we must first unpack the social structures that cultivate this behavior. Sexual violence is not simply a problem of the individual it is reinforced systemically through: socialization, education, and a lack of criminalization.
       As stated by the World Health Organization; "Sexual violence committed by men is to a large extent rooted in ideologies of male sexual entitlement. These belief systems grant women extremely few legitimate options to refuse sexual advances. Many men thus simply exclude the possibility that their sexual advances towards a woman might be rejected or that a woman has the right to make an autonomous decision about participating in sex" (Krug 2002: 162). Our society has created and nurtured envionrments that suggest a woman's body isn't her own. It has been paired with a weak criminal justice system that pardon's attackers or utilizes weak punishment- as was seen in the Brock Turner case. As a response to these strong reinforcers and weak deterents, women are forced to adapt to a constant state of fear for bodilly harm at the hands of men-at any given moment. In response to these fears, many women adapt various defense mechanisms to help them navigate a male dominated world and a sense of underlying threat, especially in situations where they are alone or without a "male escort". Although encouraged to say "no", women find that turning down the advances of men can sometimes lead to verbal abuse and in worst cases physical violence. Women must feel safe in their physical bodies. This problem is not something women can solve, it is a problem we are forced to live with. In addressing this issue, we must also address the responsibility men have to educating themselves and doing their part to creating a society that prioritizes the safety of women.



"Have you ever feared sexual assault? Regardless of there being an existing threat."

"I don't want to say no because I know I have. I just can't remember. (Pause) That one time that guy was following us back to your house!! I know I rember the fear, and that's actually happened numerous times."

"I absolutely have."

"Yes! Every since I was young."

"Of course, everywhere I go." 

References
Krug, G. Etienne. World Health Organization. 2002. "World Report on VIolence and Health. Retreived October 31, 2017. (http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/en/chap6.pdf)

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics". 2016.
“Criminal Victimization, 2015”. October 2016:2. Retrieved
October 31, 2017. (https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv15.pdf).