Tw. Sexual violence, rape

When TV shows use sexual violence as a plot device (or films, or books). Like it's a classically-used device to 'shame' a woman or show that she has been 'ruined'.

I have been a rape survivor for over 10 and 11 years, and yet I have never seen a film that depicts the story of a rape survivor accurately.

We don't just disappear. I have been on a lifelong journey (since my teens) through countless therapies. I have had good times (such as getting my second MSc after dropping out of college when I was 20) and bad times (such as crying on the floor in random public places - way too many times).

Personally, one of the best things I have ever heard about rape is that it doesn't 'ruin' your life. It just 'ruins' it temporarily. Five years for some, ten years for others.

Survivors of sexual violence are not victims. It is in our hands to change something. And to anyone reading this - if I could get hope alone while telling no-one in the world when I was a teenager, then yes, you can do it too.