From your last paragraph, that’s what I was discussing with my spouse. She has been harassed/assaulted. All the women she knows have been as well. Hell my mom was as well. She was telling me about how men started to look at her when she was 12. I cannot put myself in her shoes, but because it’s so wide spread it’s a no brainer to me that women will choose the bear, and I don’t blame them. I hate that there is a hesitation, and I hate that you, and all the women I know went through shit like that.
It’s so insanely common but most of us never report, if ever tell anyone at all. It took me decades before I could even say it outloud. My heart goes out to your wife. Seems she has a good support system, thankfully.
Like her, it started at 12 for me and around the same age with most women I know. My mom was also assaulted, as well as my grandmother. I don’t know any women who haven’t experienced some form of harassment/assault
I appreciate your kind words. Her sharing her experiences with me has been eye opening, im sure a decade ago I would have scoffed at the women choosing the bear, but listening to her stories, and the stories of others has thankfully helped me mature.
From your last paragraph, that’s what I was discussing with my spouse. She has been harassed/assaulted. All the women she knows have been as well. Hell my mom was as well. She was telling me about how men started to look at her when she was 12. I cannot put myself in her shoes, but because it’s so wide spread it’s a no brainer to me that women will choose the bear, and I don’t blame them. I hate that there is a hesitation, and I hate that you, and all the women I know went through shit like that.
It’s so insanely common but most of us never report, if ever tell anyone at all. It took me decades before I could even say it outloud. My heart goes out to your wife. Seems she has a good support system, thankfully.
Like her, it started at 12 for me and around the same age with most women I know. My mom was also assaulted, as well as my grandmother. I don’t know any women who haven’t experienced some form of harassment/assault
I appreciate your kind words. Her sharing her experiences with me has been eye opening, im sure a decade ago I would have scoffed at the women choosing the bear, but listening to her stories, and the stories of others has thankfully helped me mature.