Being from a small town is lovely, but it has one downfall: you aren’t used to having anything scary happen to you, because the most exciting thing to happen in your town is that there is a loose dog running around. (Yes the most exciting part of my winter break was when the police got called to my neighborhood because a loose Husky was walking around). When moving to Tampa from Cape Cod, I instantly had a huge culture shock. I have never been used to living in a place with so many people. Although Tampa is a beautiful city, we all know there are VERY SKETCHY parts of that leave us feeling uneasy. As a college aged girl, what would you ever do if you were attacked in Tampa?
Most women think that if a male attacks them they will automatically lose. Some don’t even try to fight back because they don’t know what to do, how to attack back, or don’t have the confidence in themselves to stand up to someone bigger. Girls Fight Back is an organization that proves these stereotypes wrong. They give seminars to women on tips for fighting against attackers and showing them that they are a lot stronger than they may think. They have taught over one million women since 2001, which is absolutely incredible.
One of the mottos of girls fight back is, “As females, we’ve been raised to assume that our safety is someone else’s responsibility. We are trained to believe that someone else will save us. It’s time to reclaim our power, our confidence, and our right to live the bada** existence for which we were intended”.
If you are attacked, your goal is to escape from the attacker as safely and quickly as possible. You are not trying to kill the attacker, you are simply trying to do anything you can in order to get away. The most important part is finding out where the attacker is vulnerable, that way it is easier for them to get hurt and stop hurting you.
Where an attacker is vulnerable:
- Forehead
- Temple
- Eye
- Nose
- Ear
- Throat
- Finger
- Knee
- Foot
- Spine
After figuring out where a good place to attack is, also take into consideration where you yourself are strong. Even though at the moment you may feel weak and useless, you have a lot more power than you think!
Places you are strong:
- Teeth
- Booty
- Hands
- Legs
- Knees
- Elbows
- Head
Being a victim of an attack is something extremely serious. If you or someone you know has ever been a victim, please make sure to remember that there is help available for any circumstance.
Are you in a violent relationship? Call the National Dating Abuse Hotline: 1-866-331-9474
Is someone stalking you? Call the Crime Victims Helpline: 1-866-689-HELP
Were you sexually assaulted? Call the RAINN Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE
If you would like more information on Girls Fight Back, or would like to book a seminar to learn more about fighting back against an attacker, check out their website at www.girlsfightback.com
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