Red My Lips Campaign

***Trigger warning sexual violence... read with caution***

Have you ever heard of this powerful sexual violence campaign called Red My Lips? I have been a follower of this organization for years and I love everything that they stand for. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month! With 'Thirteen Reasons Why' now becoming even more increasingly popular, I feel as if this post is needed. People like the fictional character, Bryce Walker on 'Thirteen Reasons Why' exist and they happen to exist in our communities. I think it is important to stand up for the survivors that cannot speak for themselves and stand with the ones that can.

I personally believe that everybody knows or will know someone who has been a victim of sexual violence whether you are aware of it or not.

Wear red lipstick for the month of April to show your support for victims of sexual violence. You are allowed to show support in other ways such as wearing red nail polish, or wearing a red shirt.

If you or someone you love has been a victim of sexual violence, please reach out for support instead of suffering in silence. There is someone out there that will listen to you and your story.

The rate of police-reported sexual assault in Canada has reached its highest level since 1996, according to Statistics Canada data.

There were more than 34,200 reports of sexual assault all over Canada in 2021. While reports decreased in 2020, the rate of sexual assault has otherwise steadily increased for five years.

This should shock people but that is only the incidents reported. So many people go their whole lives without saying a single thing and my heart hurts for those that suffer in silence.

Link to main website below.

What is Sexual Violence?

taken from the Red My Lips website

Sexual Violence is a term that describes a wide range of behaviors including:

• invasion of space & leering
• sexual harassment in person or online
• taking and/or distributing sexual photos/videos without consent
• unwanted sexual touching, kissing, groping
• vaginal, anal, or oral penetration without consent
• sexual contact with someone who is incapacitated or unable to give consent
• child sexual abuse
• human trafficking

"Sexual violence can be thought of as a pyramid, where rape and sexual assault are built on a base of attitudes and beliefs, not only about sex and gender, but about all the -isms related to understandings about who has power, control, and value in our society. Most simply, this graphic illustrates the fact that you don't sexually degrade, demean, and/or dehumanize someone you fundamentally believe to be your equal. The message is clear: In order to topple the pyramid of sexual violence, we must chip away at the base." (via PCAR)

When I think of this pyramid, I think of the Brock Turner case. Have you ever noticed that people remember his name and not his victims" I read an article once where Brock Turner's own father slut-shamed this poor woman after his son went to jail for his actions. Enabling this kind of mindset where rape culture is okay isn't okay at all. People defended a rapist and claimed that it ruined his life. Okay what about the damage done to Chanel Miller and her own family? This all falls into he attitudes and beliefs category of the pyramid. So what he can't swim professionally anymore? He permanently scarred a woman to the point where she was slut shamed for her rapist's actions. There is something wrong with that kind of mindset especially in this day and age.

Things like that are exactly why organizations like Red My Lips exist. To topple the pyramid you have to be able to talk about the society that we live in and the one that we are choosing to raise children in. At least that is how I feel after my own stories behind sexual violence.

I will never shut up and I hope people can understand where I am coming from and why I am the way I am now.

I am a proud sexual violence survivor and I am not the only one.

So for the month of April, paint your lips red. It isn't a sign of vanity it is a sign of support.

Chloe Rose Violet

Check out more of a survivor's work down below.

References

https://www.redmylips.org/

https://time.com/5668738/stanford-victim-chanel-miller/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/sexual-assault-rate-in-2021-highest-since-1996-violent-crimes-up-statistics-canada-1.6010840