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.
