We, As Women

We, as women are told from a young age to sit down and keep our mouths shut; to not speak unless spoken to, to NEVER look at the ground.
We, as women are taught to carry pepper spray in our purses at 8, as fucking 8 year olds we're handled a bottle of pepper spray and told to NEVER leave the house without it, we're told to carry our keys between our fingers through dark alleyways and dimly lit parking lots. We're told to park as close to the building as possible, to not move from our driver seats until the man lurking at the corner is gone. Our phones can never get below a certain level should we end up stranded and defenseless.

We, as women were victims the moment we left our mothers wombs.

We're told to never go out alone, always travel in packs; no women left behind.  Don't get into cars with strangers, don't share your number or let them know where you live. If you see headlights in your rear view mirror take the long way home, you can never be to cautious. 

We, as women are victims; told we can never be survivors that we must wear our scars so they may be seen. We're told we must stay pure till marriage even though our husbands remain unfaithful till they die. We're told to NEVER cry rape even if we're left in the street bruised and bleeding.

We, as women NEVER had a fucking chance!

We're too much, too big, too loud, too outgoing, too sensitive, too quiet, too affectionate, too forgiving, too outspoken, too soft, too bitter. We're NEVER enough and we're told to live our lives in fear of EVERY man who stares at us a little to long, of EVERY damn things this world has to offer.

We, as women are told to ALWAYS lock the doors, on our cars, on our homes, on our mouths, on our lives, on our legs.

We're told that maybe we wouldn't of been raped, yes THAT word, the taboo word that must never be spoken above a whisper so let me say it again.
WE ARE TOLD THAT MAYBE WE WOULDN'T OF BEEN RAPED HAD WE NOT DRESSED THE WAY WE DID!

We're told that the reason we're so desirable is because we ASKED for it, but let me tell you this.
I DID NOT ASK for that monster to climb inside my body in the middle of the night, I DID NOT ASK for that heathen to rip every last shred of innocence I had left inside my body, I DID NOT ASK TO BE RAPED! NO ONE ASKS TO BE RAPED!

Whether we're drunk or dressed in sweats and a baggy shirt or an outfit that shows off our bodies, WE ARE NEVER ASKING TO BE RAPED!

They say that once you've been victimized, there's a good chance it will happen again. I stand here today and say I AM NOT A VICTIM, I WILL NOT sit quietly in the back of the room and whisper this word; NO, I will stand and scream it for all to hear, I WAS RAPED. I DID NOT ASK FOR IT!
It's time that we, AS WOMEN take back our bodies and the word RAPE because WE, AS WOMEN WILL NO LONGER STAY QUIET!