Letter to the Editor: Terminology used when talking about domestic violence and body image

By Emilia Barajas

As a society, I believe we fail to recognize how powerful negative and or positive terminology can be. As I conducted my research on domestic violence and body image I noticed that a big factor in both topics is terminology. With this in mind, something important to remember is to identify those who went through this trauma as survivors not victims. Throughout this process, I realized how prevalent domestic violence really is and how it affects the survivors’ self-image. Nationally, there is a wide range of resources that are available to help survivors overcome this. For the city of Urbana-Champaign there are also a variety of resources. This includes RACES as well as Courage Connection. Within each of these individual organizations you have the ability to connect to a hotline 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Allowing survivors the ability to seek help when they are able to get in contact. As for the way we connect this to body image, a toxic relationship can take a huge toll on someone’s self-esteem especially when the cycle seems endless. Survivors will often begin to lose faith in their self-image and feel powerless. As we may know a lot of our lives are trial and error, but how do we know that we are out of the error zone? Our society fails to train us on self-love. It is always so quick to compare you to the next person or put you on a pedestal where you are expected to meet society’s standards. The illusion of the hourglass figure, perfectly proportioned in just the right places. No stretch marks because why would a female have stretch marks? All a vision that seems unreal to achieve and detrimental to both women’s mental and physical health. This is a reason that I feel the proper support, resources, and advocacy are provided to those going through mental health challenges. I will continue to support and advocate for our local resources who provide such great services to those in need.

Thank you for your time. 

With care, 

Emilia Barajas