Have you ever walked home alone in the dark, ready to jump at the first sound you hear? Everybody feels that way every once in awhile, even if you feel like you’re in a ‘safe area.’ Well the truth is, technically there is no ‘safe area’ because anything can happen at any instance. You may end up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, around the wrong people, and although I can say that our campus has an excellent police force and tries its best to protect us, there is no absolute guarantee. That’s where I come in.
Over the past two years I started to become very interested in working out and decided to pursue a certificate in ‘strength training.’ From there I started to get involved with boxing and self-defense, because although I like to think that I’m a 6”5 ripped superhero who can protect myself against any danger bullets and bullies alike, I know deep down that everybody, even I, can use a little help sometimes. This help can come in the form of taking a self-defense class, purchasing legal personal self defense items, and just a little bit of knowledge.
Not everyone has the opportunity to take a self-defense class, and even if they do, usually they’re afraid that it will be too intense or maybe that they will look embarrassed and like they don’t know what they’re doing. Let me let you in on a little secret… Everyone is there because they want to LEARN and DON’T KNOW what they’re doing, so stop with the excuses and just try it. The few moves they show you may just help give you the extra few seconds you need to get yourself out of a sticky situation. Don’t believe me? Just ask J. Lo. Her movie ‘Enough’ is a perfect portrayal of what you can acquire out of a self-defense class, although I hope your situation is never as extreme. Although most of us will never look as glamorous as the amazing Jennifer Lopez, it’s not about how you look doing it. What’s important is that you actually know what you’re doing if a situation does occur.
Next I want to move on to what every girl and even guy should carry around with them at all times. For girls, there really is no excuse as to why they cannot carry around these few items because they’re ideally made to be thrown in a purse and ignored until they’re needed. Now, each state has different laws on personal defense items that can be on a person. So before you go out and splurge, make sure to do your research. In the state of Pennsylvania, however, “chemical mace” is specifically excluded from the definition of weapons. There appears to be no regulation or restriction on the lawful use of self-defense sprays- this includes mace and pepper spray. My favorite part about pepper spray is that just like every part of your outfit, from your hair to your shoes, you can accessorize it. There are pepper sprays in the shape of a lipstick tube. You can buy perfume bottle models that honestly look so similar to a mini bottle of fragrance from Bath And Body works that I didn’t believe it whenever I first saw them. Finally, you can always stick with the simple sprays where you can customize the color, and those are just a few examples of personalizing your pepper spray/mace, which just gives you another excuse to buy one.
So there are self-defense classes and resistance sprays, but what else? This is where you come in. Research. Safety is not an issue to joke around with, and you can never be too prepared. And although I hope that if you do invest in a cute pink pepper spray gun you will never have to use it, it’s better to be safe than sorry. There are also other items that are approved and permitted to be on a person such as Tasers, personal defense alarms that look just like an automatic car starter, and weapons such as the “Heart Attack” and “Cat Woman’s Self Defense Key Chain.” As I’m doing this research, all of these items are so personalize-able that I can’t help but start thinking of ideas for my friends’ future birthdays!
The Heart Attack and Cat Woman’s Self Defense Key Chain are both items that look like a simple key chain decoration and can again be personalized by color, but when held right and used correctly, can injure someone enough to allow you to get away. Again, these items may seem over the top and unnecessary, but as I said earlier, there is no such thing as being ‘too prepared’ whenever it comes to your safety.
As a student, I will say that I feel very protected at the University of Pittsburgh, and the same goes for any other campus I have ever visited. But, no matter how hard the campus works to erase crime and danger, though their efforts are valiant, they can never be 100% risk-free. I’ve attached two links that will lead you to two sites that have a great variety of safety tips and self defense items! Be interested in your safety and the safety of your friends and family. Maybe one day you’ll be thankful that you were.
Helpful Websites:
http://www.getselfprotection.com/heartattack.htm
Photo Credits: