Earlier this week, a powerful hashtag went viral on Twitter by women sharing stories from manipulative and controlling relationships, pointing out that #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou, but there can be other — sometimes equally as damaging — forms of abuse in relationships. Just because a partner isn’t leaving physical scars doesn’t mean that this behavior isn’t unequivocally considered as emotional abuse, whether in the form of put downs and criticism over appearance, wanting to isolate from friends and family, or with threats and guilt.
Here are some of the tweets from brave women who have come forward to share their experiences, starting with a reminder that emotional abuse is also sometimes just a stepping stone to actual violence.
#maybehedoesnthityou and maybe, eventually, he does.
— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) May 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/bad_dominicana/status/729670850908192769
https://twitter.com/WeNeedFeminlsm/status/730216055734415361
A very sad and necessary hashtag. And yes, this can happen with all genders. #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) May 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/KATHERINEALKA/status/729825043660812288
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he doesn't let you go out alone, polices your appearance and tells you who to hang out and who to stay away from.
— ✨ (@feminizza) May 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/lexi4prez/status/730587223498756096
https://twitter.com/lexi4prez/status/730583707778568192
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he tries to justify his actions to make it seem like your feelings are invalid and uses your weaknesses against you
— sof (@sofiggle) May 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/batch_elder/status/730588011830747136
https://twitter.com/aveiman/status/730012368244252672
#maybehedoesnthityou but he tries to control who you talk to, where you go, what friends you can have, and acts like it's out of love.
— environmentally friendless 🇵🇸 (@detricotage) May 9, 2016
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he won't let you go home or see your friends very often or at all.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) May 9, 2016
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but instead he isolates you and destroys all of you platonic relationships so he's all you have
— finn mertens (@lifeaschicanx) May 4, 2016
#maybehedoesnthityou but you need his approval for everything and he treats you like property and not a person
— Keegan Part 2 (@Keegannnnn) May 9, 2016
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he never lets you forget that he could leave you for someone prettier, less "slutty," less emotional, less damaged.
— ella dawson (@brosandprose) May 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/Just_Juanita/status/729689511853174785
With any hope, there are women out there who are reading these tweets and feeling less alone and isolated in their own situations, with a newfound inspiration to make a change for the positive. It’s never too late.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) to report any kind of domestic abuse.
(Via Daily Mail)
