Preventing Sexual Assault

There are many ways in which women can prevent a sexual assault situation. Some of the ways can include something so psychological as the color they wear to the physical defense mechanisms that can be used. I will list some of the ways and describe each way for further clarification. These, of course, are some of my thoughts and are not meant to be offensive in any way. I understand that there may be some disagreement, particularly when it comes to a fashion sense.

A.) First, the physical defenses:

1.) A woman can take many self-defense courses such as Tae Kwon Do or Karate. Many of these courses will deliberately demonstrate how to disarm someone in every sense of the word. There are ways to disarm a person if they have a weapon, but this does not always guarantee that there will be no harm. It is simply in the mindset of disarming someone, no matter what object they use. Self defense classes are very rewarding but can take much time and years of practice. Also, one must realize that there may be many males who are also trained in self-defense.

2.)  Simple things that aid in assault prevention include the standard keychain pepper spray. If you are a freaky kind of girl and are interested in miscellaneous weapons, perhaps carrying medieval devices of torture would suffice. This sounds quite like a joke, but I have personally known some women to carry a "mini- mace" in the bottom of her purse (a mace is a device made of strong metal with a ball at the end containing sharp spikes).
In some instances, keys may be used as a temporary weapon to stun a perpetrator. Keychain whistles are also a hot commodity when it comes to assault prevention. Those are pretty effective but I would suggest something louder for backup that does not require your own respiration in case your breathing is compromised...a small blow horn that can conveniently fit within the confines of a purse. This will alarm the perpetrator and perhaps give precious seconds to break free and run. Also, it is seriously loud and will catch attention of society.
Note: I understand that there are many women who choose not to carry a purse, which is fine. It is ultimately up to the individual's expression statement or what have you. But in instances where it is dark and you are alone, perhaps creating an emergency purse for a night out is ideal. You don't have to carry a purse at all times, just be sure to have a back up plan with your mini mace, pepper spray, and blow horn in a fashionable evening purse.

B.) Fame and Fashion (A good David Bowie reference just for you!)

1.) Fashion is a statement of expression and individuality. Here is where some people may disagree; On a night out, women could potentially reduce the risk of sexual assault by carefully choosing what they wear. The women who dress on the slightly more promiscuous side are not going to be very effective in preventing an assault. Women who are "scantily clad" will obviously attract more attention and it will make them appear more vulnerable to perpetrators. If you are going to be alone, dress classy. Dress appropriately for every occasion.
Note: When it comes to fashion, a woman does reserve the right to completely ignore the media and dress how she feels necessary. I feel like the media portrays a certain fashion sense that seems to sexualize people in negative ways (i.e., Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, etc.). Not every woman has to dress the way the media says they are supposed to dress. Have a sense of individualism.

2.) Fame is everything, apparently. Well, not in the sense one may think of. Fame as in be among several friends. There is strength in numbers. When you go out, have a good and solid buddy system. If you are among friends, stay together and keep a sharp eye as any situation could arise.

C.) Psychology, mind tricks, and other useful tips.

1.) It is a scientifically proven fact that men are more attracted to women in red. Conversely, women are attracted to men in red. While a woman's brain interprets the color of red as powerful and confident, a man's brain interprets the color red as sexy and vulnerable. When you dress up for a night out, perhaps wearing red is not the best idea as it will attract more attention to an assault perpetrator. Men are less attracted to colors such as green and/or neutral colors (as is anyone).

2.) Wearing certain items may in certain styles may or may not ward away perpetrators. For example, high heels help bring out the feminine features of the leg. This may also be more attractive to someone. However, there are certain heel styles that will make a woman appear more confident and strong. Heels with a bigger or chunkier heel may ward away some predators because you will appear taller and stronger. This may not make any sense, but this is in contrast to the tall, skinny stiletto style heel. It is like they always tell the audience for me at our live productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Stay out of the actor's way during the performance. Do you want your obituary to say 'trampled to death by a sweet transvestite in 70s style high heels.'" People do tend to look maddeningly confident and fearfully strong in Frank-N-Furter style heels. So keep calm and do the Time Warp again, in Frank heels!

3.) Some quick last minute tips to prevent assault:

• If you have long hair, tie your hair up when walking alone at night as it appears more attractive and vulnerable.
• Tattooed women are less likely to get sexually assaulted because the appearance of tattoos makes some look strong or tough. I am not saying everyone should go get tattoos, but I am certainly not condoning them.
• Be attentive when out at night.
• Be aware of the laws and legality of what constitutes sexual assault.
• Plan what you would do or say in the event of an attack. If it completely throws you off guard, improvise and do so with precision and caution. 
• Know the difference between handling situations in urban areas versus rural areas (although, rural areas are less likely to have these kind of situations) because it is safe to know what to do in both environments. 
• IMPORTANT: Create a unique and completely random codeword like "papaya". Share this with close family and friends so that way the codeword can be used to signal that you are in danger, while remaining calm. This will drastically help someone know to call for help while preventing the scene from escalating.

Extra, Useful Information:
I highly recommend being proactive about certain things to help raise awareness over certain issues. In many cases, it can be quite beneficial in reducing the amount of occurrences we see daily. Go to rainn.org and get involved. Being involved with nonprofit organizations are the best, in my opinion. Get involved with Denton Friends of the Family. There are several more organizations out there that one can use as a tool to speak out an help end issues that afflict us all.

Blog 3

The issue I have chosen to discuss involves mental illness. I believe that it is a problem that often overlooked in our country. It seems that just so long as one is in good physical health, then they are considered "healthy". However, there are 5 other dimensions of health that are equally as important. I will be the first to say that I am generally healthy in each dimension save for mental health. But to get to the point, when one dimension of health is out of whack, then it creates a ripple effect and the others begin to falter and/or fluctuate.

I know many people who suffer from certain mental illnesses. For this topic I will choose someone and leave their name classified as Brad. Brad is probably one of my closer friends that I have and I also will not specify what exactly he suffers from. I will simply discuss his lifestyle choices, attitudes, and functionality in society.

Brad is an intelligent young man. One can have an existential conversation with him very easily. He is functioning but he does seem to go through series of rough patches. One of the many problems and struggles he is faced with is that he finds himself from job to job. It is difficult for him to hold a single job down. Due to his recent misfortunes, he has had to move out of his apartment because of his most recent job loss. Currently, he is between his friends and parents as a temporary living situation. Brad seems to suffer from the occasional depressive state but will soon come back up. He does seem to space out quite a bit and is mildly clumsy. His car is evidence of this and that he clearly struggles to pay attention at times, but he finds this humorous. Many of his friends, including myself, find it somewhat humorous as well. Brad is quite a jokster and likes to have fun with things. The biggest problem people seem to have with Brad is that they consider him "creepy". He does occasionally have the "stalker-ish" attitude that seems to displace others. This makes him and surrounding people uncomfortable. Of course, I am persistently in his defense.

Just from knowing Brad, I knew that there might be something wrong with him but never really questioned it any deeper. I would endorse that he is high functioning. He seems to take more interest in fantastical ideologies. Any video game that is highly imaginative with a profound "fantasy land", he covets and spends a lot of his time playing. Occasionally, he will cosplay (dress up as a character) a character from a movie or video game. I actually did not know that he was diagnosed with a certain mental illness until recently. When I discovered this, it became clear that his attitude and behavior suddenly had a meaningful explanation.

 
 

Blog 2

"The Insufferable 'Talk'"

When a parent is beginning to think of ways to speak to their child about sex, they consider time and place. This is one of the few and rare talks that must be done under the appropriate conditions otherwise the result could be catastrophic. I would assume that most parents dread the day in which that insufferable talk has to take place. The talk must be done with precise care, but of course, the parent cannot come off as though sex is not a normal activity.

Perhaps some of the best scenarios to speak with a child about what sex is include the age right around 6th grade. Of course, one must take in to consideration that not every child is the same. Some may be at different maturity, physical, and/or cognitive levels. The time frame around 5th to 6th grade is generally where children are going to pick up what they hear from their peers about certain activities. Some children may go so far as to create perverse ways of explaining their theories on sex.

Some of the perverted children may confuse the more innocent ones and could potentially give them false ideas. This could have an effect on their future sexual activity as adults. So when children begin to spread vicious rumors, this would be the ideal time to begin discussion with them about the right and wrong of sex. However, if you speak to them too early on, they may become freaked out by sex and think of it as a "bad" thing.

The ideal scenario:
When: Toward the end of 5th grade
Where: At home after a family activity (game night, etc)
How: Using false diagrams (the stereotypical banana and condom visualization)

The key is to be punctual. One must not delve into too much detail or it may overwhelm the child whereas being too vague may leave them with more questions. One must always consider that this is a serious talk because this is also the time period where children are learning who they are and discovering their sexuality. This personal and self-exploration of sexuality is critical for the child to eventually determine who they are and who they want to be or be with.

Parents must always anticipate questions. Be cautious with how you answer them because you do not want to scare them away!

At the end of the ideal scenario, the child should know the following:

• It can be scary sometimes, so think smart.
• It is important, beautiful, and fragile because it creates human life
• It is supposed to be enjoyable if done properly
• Sex is for people who are in love
• Sex is always beautiful
• Sex=Love

Adolescent Health Promotion

 In today's society, we can probably blame the media for several of the issues that we see. In my personal opinion, I believe that merely sitting around and pointing fingers at who did what wrong is pointless and a waste of time, however. But the media does portray certain attitudes and behaviors that are adopted by children and adolescents. Today, the media is almost literally everywhere. There are several social networks that promote advertising in the corner of their websites. Television is sadly what I like to call 'an American past-time'. Not all television is bad, but the commercialism of it is what makes it so bad sometimes. Behaviors are inherently learned, and when the media is constantly portraying certain behaviors, it is human nature to copy them. 

An example of this is as follows: the media show's an actress who is deathly thin. The typical response is that many adolescent girls (and some boys) may learn this behavior. Again, it is our nature to copy what we deem successful. The famous are the rich and elite. We, as groundlings (witty Shakespeare reference), will look up to them and forever wonder how they got in their position. 9 times out of 10, they did not get there by their morbidly thin appearance. So since we see this behavior, we want to follow along in their path so that way we could experience recognition, fame, and extensive wealth.

It is the principle of the matter. The media is perhaps one of the largest outlets of how we behave. It is just good business for all, or so it would seem. If the media could reduce the outflow of such information and promote health and wellness as an actual lifestyle choice, then perhaps adolescents would be in a brighter future. For example, there could be more commercials where Mila Kunis is eating an apple or going for a brisk jog. The central idea is that once you choose a higher role model demonstrating something so healthy, it creates a ripple effect in the masses. 

On another note, the schools that are taking out the vending machines are doing the right thing. At the time I was in high school, I thought that it was preposterous that the school administrators were taking out the vending machines yet they were still serving greasy pizza everyday in one particular line. As an a generally active person, I choose to eat a healthy diet. I do enjoy chocolate and cinnamon flavored things quite often, but for the most part I choose natural and organic foods. It looks like Denton's The Cupboard store should open up a franchise in every industrialized city. 

Health and wellness is always in the news because people are always trying to better themselves. Most of us really want to lead active lifestyles. But at the end of the day, it is ultimately up to the individual to be the change they wish to be.

A Personal Biography...

My name is Corey Shane Steward. I was born in Dallas, Texas but I was raised in southeastern New Mexico for some years after I was born. It was what I knew for several years as a child until my "family" moved back to Texas when I was around 13 years old. Being around the mountains was really something I enjoyed. I started hiking when I was about 9. I would hike up in the Sierra Blanca mountains just around Ruidoso and it was an activity that I miss greatly. I love Texas, as I am a native Texan. Most people from this state are generally very proud so non-natives must get used to it. I particularly enjoy the south central region from around Austin to San Antonio (the Hill Country). I enjoy the southern coast and deep east Texas as well.

I am a pre-OT/health studies major. I have several personal interests in health but the primary one at the moment is the heart. I have been fascinated with the heart for several years now. I believe that it is an amazing organ that is often overlooked for what it does. Considering the actual amount of stress we put our hearts under really makes it quite beautiful. I spent most of last semester preparing a community based needs assessment in Dallas County for cardiovascular disease. It was something that was easy to get into. I expect to learn more health information that I can use to put towards my career. 

I have several hobbies, most of them revolve around music. I am a classically trained pianist and I have been since I was 8 years old. I play piano like a madman! It is one thing that I particularly enjoy. When I moved to Texas, I decided to teach myself how to play the guitar from what musical theory and keyboard theory I knew. Lo and behold within a few years, I was playing guitar. Then I went on to learn mandolin. Another instrument I have been considering to learn is called a Talonpoikaiskantele, which is a Finnish lap harp. They have a very serene and beautiful sound to them that resonates with such sustain. Uilleann pipes are also something I have considered. I am a choir nerd and performed at TMEA in San Antonio the past two year with an orchestra...that last one was the best show ever! I was in musical theater and glee club all through high school. I collect vinyl records and have nearly 600 of them. I have a very nice Alice Cooper collection that some may laud. For the past few years, I have been playing piano professionally for commissions. I was commissioned to play at a theater opening for a play about a pianist. I have played for a few church services, a couple of weddings, and so many art exhibits. I was also a sit-in organist for a church. I also write a lot of poetry. I am in love with Rachel Elaine Jackson! She is my hero.

One thing people about me that is odd...people either fully accept it and think it's cool, or they completely reject it out of fear....I play the role of Dr. Frank-n-Furter on a stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on a professional cast in a Dallas community theater. Shows are always held at the Lakewood Theater in Dallas. You may look us up for more information and you should totally come to a show and see me act like a transvestite! Here is a link: www.amberdoesdallas.com.
Considering this role, it has sparked another hobby recently...costuming. I have been learning how to use a sewing machine because I only know how to hand sew. But if you ever come to Rocky show and see me, everything I am wearing was made by me. Making corsets is not easy and sometimes is not fun! But now, I have spending much of my time browsing fabrics and thinking of other things to make.