Everything's Trash, But It's Okay

by Phoebe Robinson

I want to elevate a room when I walk in it, not just keep it the same as it’s always been. I want the world to be fundamentally different than the one my mom grew up in. So I refuse to get mine, so to speak, by reinforcing the patriarchy to my advantage. There is no point in perpetuating the same bullshit because it is somehow going to taste better going down because it’s coming from a woman. Poison is poison no matter who serves it to you.

Harassment is not designed to be temporary; it’s intended to stay with you, keep you in line, never allow you to fully relax and be calm. That way the perpetrator doesn’t even have to do the work of oppressing you. You’ll inadvertently do the work for him long after he’s forgotten what he’s done. So that instead of remembering how you stood up for yourself and using that memory as strength to propel yourself forward, you’ll be taken back to when you felt weak. Harassment is not just about harming you that one time; it’s about lingering around for every time afterwards and chipping away at you without you realizing