In line with Sexual Assault Awareness month

Would You Wear the

canada goose outlet shop Nowadays, people use tee shirts to proclaim everything from the snarky (“Yoga is for Posers”) to the political (“Barack the Vote!”) to the totally silly (a baby onesie reads, “I’m told I like golf.”) A few years ago, I met and interviewed a trio of young female eating disorder survivors who turned their struggles canada goose into a fashion statement with Angel Strength tees tops read “I am beautiful” on the canada goose uk black friday front, “no matter what they say” on the back, an homage to their favorite singer’s pro self esteem song. In a market saturated with sometimes vulgar and self deprecating slogan shirts, these girls were working to make sure there’s Canada Goose Online a positive message on the market, too. In line with Sexual Assault Awareness month, her new tops picture an open safe, but Canada Goose Outlet instead of money inside, the statement “I was raped” uk canada goose outlet sits on a tiny card. According to today’s New York Times canada goose outlet shop

canada goose jacket outlet As for the “I was raped” shirt, Baumgardner told the New York Times, “So many people who’ve been canada goose clearance sale raped tend to doubt the experience. I do think it’s often empowering for women and men to own that experience and divest themselves of some of the shame and secrecy of it and realize that they’re not the ones that should be ashamed.” The intended impact of the shirt is to provide a release for those who wear it it’s not canada goose outlet so much a shouted proclamation as it is a canada goose coats revealing of what, for so many women, is a shackled secret. canada goose jacket outlet

canada goose outlet canada Not too long ago, I wrote of my own sexual assault which happened nine years ago. At age 22, sleeping alone in a hotel room following a graduate school dance I had attended with my then boyfriend, a man I did not know entered my room while everyone else partied into the early morning hours. He woke me by kissing canadian goose jacket me on the mouth; once he started groping my breasts, I realized something was very, very wrong. I opened my eyes to find a shirtless stranger above me. A quick scan down confirmed his pants were on, belt unbuckled. canada goose outlet canada

canada goose outlet online Though I was not raped, the assault has left a horrifying indelible imprint on my life. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder set in almost immediately. Two nights post attack, I canada goose coats on sale wet my bed. I had cheap canada goose uk vivid flashbacks and would shoot high into the air if touched even slightly while sleeping. It took weeks Canada Goose Jackets for me to get the feeling of his hand off my right breast, where it remained like the bright flash of a photo being taken. canada goose outlet online

canada goose outlet new york city Nearly a decade later, I still cannot sleep. Blood curdling nightmares and sheet soaking sweats canada goose black friday sale wake me nightly. As for the attacker? He received the proverbial wrist slap and within a year, his record was expunged. canada goose outlet new york city

canada goose outlet online uk I am open about my experience, because, canada goose uk shop like Baumgardner, canada goose store I canada goose clearance believe that speaking about one’s experiences particularly the difficult buy canada goose jacket cheap ones helps dispel the stigma and encourages others to come forward. I do not have any sort of shirt notifying the world around me of my assault, though I do often wear a silver, rectangular pendant cheap Canada Goose that reads, simply, FEARLESSNESS. It was created by actress Mariska Hargitay and Me Jewelry as part of Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation, which is dedicated to helping survivors of sexual assault in the healing process. After a few weeks of explaining to people what it meant, I simply started saying, “It’s for a sexual assault awareness organization founded by the star of Law Order: SVU.” I figured they could infer the rest of the story. canada goose outlet online uk

canada goose outlet uk But the mere act of wearing my FEARLESSNESS did more that raise awareness. It made me feel stronger. I would find myself rubbing the pendant uk canada goose absentmindedly, like some people spin their wedding ring or twirl a ringlet or hair. The necklace turned dark and smooth from wear. Proof that I was mastering my fear. canada goose outlet uk

canada https://www.gooseyou.com goose outlet parka Some people get a tattoo Canada Goose Parka to commemorate a special event; others pen their memoirs. I craved something tangible that would show the world I was moving on. Perhaps some will find the same solace and empowerment in this tee shirt. Will parents canada goose uk outlet cover their childrens’ eyes the very reaction the shirt rallies against? Will some idiot man make an ugly, ignorant remark? Will the woman wearing it feel so self conscious that others are staring at such a loaded message emblazoned across her chest that she folds her arms and prays for a sweater? Part of me wonders if confronting your local barista with a pink “I was raped” tee as your order you morning latte is the way to go canada goose outlet parka.