Halsey, thank you for being able to put into words the confusion and hurt that many women face. In case you didn’t know, Halsey delivered a speech at the New York Women’s March surrounding the too commonly known issue of sexual assault.
Halsey, you are an inspiration to all of us who have experienced the horror and fear of being violated in such an intimate and vulnerable manner.
In today’s media, speaking out about “strength” stemming from sexual assault encounters is seen too often. It can cause those of us who are still struggling with the grief and crippling fear to feel as if we are mistaken for feeling any sort of way that isn’t beneficial to us. We acknowledge that men are naturally pigs and need to learn.
However, when sexual assaults are happening, it’s not too rare that the word “stop” or feeling someone trembling is “misunderstood”. As a society, we need to stop labeling abusers as “uneducated” or having a “lapse in judgment for a moment”.
We need to stop validating these excuses and acknowledge that a sexual assault is something that is carried throughout someone’s life.
It causes P.T.S.D. to those affected and violated and can cause victims to stay up at night wondering what they did wrong. Wondering why, after years passing, they still feel the touch of the abuser and feel unexplainable terror.
Halsey, thank you for acknowledging that Planned Parenthood is a safe haven after an assault. So many people are afraid to go and get help, in which Halsey also addressed this by saying “And she’s praying she doesn’t need an abortion. She couldn’t afford it. And her parents would, like, totally kill her”. Planned Parenthood is often overlooked for the work that they do because going to Planned Parenthood is seen as shameful and cheap.
However, Planned Parenthood is actually one of the places that sexual assault victims can go to receive help and support, especially if they are afraid of the consequences. Thank you, Halsey, for addressing the fact that after an assault occurs, it is valid and smart to visit a clinic as such.
My favorite line in Halsey’s poem is when she addresses her sexual assault from 2017. So often, we believe we are invincible because we are finally happy and surrounded by good people. We are doing good in life so we don’t even think about the possibility of someone taking advantage of that. Halsey stated, “I’ve earned my protection, eternally clean. Until a man that I trust gets his hands in my pants.
But I don’t want any of that, I just wanted to dance. And I wake up the next morning like I’m in a trance and there’s blood. Is that my blood?” Halsey, you are incredibly relatable. Thank you for sharing your own experience of the confusion and fear you felt.
Also, you explained what a good person should do when you said, “But I don’t want none of that, I just wanted to dance”. It is incredibly disheartening to know that even though someone just wants to have a good time and dance, other people have other ideas on their agenda. It’s a sad world to live in when you have to be afraid of someone taking advantage of your innocence and fun.
Halsey, you were so brave to acknowledge all of the times that you have been sexually assaulted. Honestly, hearing about all of the accusations of men in the media really means nothing to me. I’d rather hear the truth and the thoughts of a person who was affected by sexual assault, rather than hear about the sentencing of a man as if it’s a miracle he’s getting into trouble. I want to hear more about the experience of the assault so that victims can feel comfortable sharing their story, rather than shining a light on their bravery just because they decided to speak up against someone who deserves no attention in the media.
Especially since that means we are assigning emotions just for speaking up, when victims may not feel that way. It is incredibly hard to share and open up, which does mean that bravery is needed, but it doesn’t always help to be called brave if you’re not feeling as such. We need to let victims speak up more about their experiences rather than congratulating them for something that they aren’t proud of.
