Sometimes you can take a joke too far. When a joke no longer has a humorous tone, but a stab in a heart kind of tone that is where the line should be drawn. I get it, we are young and may not always think before we speak, but in some instances, you need to take a step back and ask yourself, “Should I really be saying this”. You never know what may be going on in someone’s personal life and these “jokes” may turn into something that haunts your friend for a lifetime. You may be wondering, “What kind of jokes is she talking about” I will tell you. These are words I hear come out of people’s mouths much more frequently than they should, they are negative and strong and really shouldn’t be said, even in a joking manner. I know we may not all mean it in a nasty way, but I think it is time to call out the hurtful words that get tossed around a little too freely.

“Don’t get raped tonight”, as you leave to go out with friends one of your smart*** friends screams that out the door. Male or female that shouldn’t ever be something you scream to someone as his or her night is about to begin. Even if it is a simple joke, it is not simple that is a real life thing that changes a person’s life. Being a victim of sexual assault is not a joke and you should never say that to a friend. Did you know that every two seconds a person is sexually assaulted in America? That is a very real and scary statistic. Next time you want to scream something out the door as your friend leaves you should tell them to be safe and to call you if they need anything. A sexual assault is something I would never want anyone I know, even my worst enemy to ever go through.

“Don’t get Pregnant”, that is another phrase that makes my stomach flip whenever I hear a “friend” jokingly say that to another “friend”. Having a pregnancy scare is not a game, nor is it fun. It is honestly a life changing experience that should teach you to become more careful. Having a child isn’t something to joke about it is a huge responsibility. I know most of the time people don’t mean to harm feelings, but that could hit your friend the wrong way.

Jokingly accusing someone of having an STD is another thing that just makes me shake my head. Although not all stay with you for life, it doesn’t matter any form of an STD is scary and REAL. I personally know a handful of friends who have gone through similar scares and it is terrible. How is something that can basically ruin someone’s life funny anyhow?

Making fun of somebody’s weight. Why should I even explain this? Whether you are skinny, or over-weight it is still hard. Commenting on someone’s food intake can hurt someone more than you realize. As of right now every day 10 million females and 1 million males deal with an eating disorder in the United States. Some of these people could very possibly be one of your friends, please be aware of that. If you see a problem help them, don’t embarrass them.

I am not calling whoever is guilty of doing this a terrible person. I know we are all guilty of saying these things at one point. No one is a perfect human and we all have things that go on in our lives that we can’t control. You need to remember that sly comments like this aren’t always the most appealing thing you can say to someone, it may make a room laugh but you may also cause some hurt feelings. I understand that I can’t save the world, but hopefully, I was able to open your eyes to what these phrases can really do to someone. I hope that voicing my opinion on this can change your perspective on the language you choose to use, I can’t control you, but I hope I can begin a change in the way we all view the world. Remember what your mama told you “Always think before you speak”.

Stay beautiful.