I speak for many people when I say 'rape' was not in the school curriculum. Growing up in the eighties and nineties, we learned what rape was on TV, in that rare occurrence in a soap opera storyline, like Kelly on 90210 or someone on Dallas or Dynasty. But never in school. Rape was an untouchable subject.
It wasn't until my late twenties when I began to understand the value of claiming ownership over my own body. That was after years of shamelessly handing it over to anyone who wanted to look after it. That wasn't part of the curriculum either.
It's unfortunate, really, how there is little to no encouragement for young women to claim such an ownership over their bodies, especially when there are constant signals to give it away--whether it's risque booty shorts for 5-year-olds or pressure for 25-year-olds to receive Botox injections. There's no signal out there that says, Women, these are your bodies. Respect them and take care of them, because others won't.
It wasn't until my late twenties when I began to understand the value of claiming ownership over my own body. That was after years of shamelessly handing it over to anyone who wanted to look after it. That wasn't part of the curriculum either.
It's unfortunate, really, how there is little to no encouragement for young women to claim such an ownership over their bodies, especially when there are constant signals to give it away--whether it's risque booty shorts for 5-year-olds or pressure for 25-year-olds to receive Botox injections. There's no signal out there that says, Women, these are your bodies. Respect them and take care of them, because others won't.
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