Let’s Elevate Empowerment and Autonomy!
On our social media pages, you’ll never see images of men lurking in the shadows, nor will we tell you about the dangers of walking alone at night.
We believe most women are already well aware of the realities of gender-based violence.* We don’t need a daily reminder of the inherent dangers of being a woman in our society (or being non-binary, trans, LGBTQIA, or any other identity marginalized by patriarchy).
Unfortunately, much of today’s marketing relies on fear to sell products and services. More specifically, it depends on triggering a trauma response (shutting down the neocortex and activating the survival system that drives instinctual decision-making) to push consumers to buy, buy, and buy more.
At Choose Empowerment, we do not believe in fear-based marketing.
We grow up hearing horror stories about what it means to be a woman in this world. But we choose to reject marketing tactics that exploit the fears of our community.
Moreover, these tactics may be based on real facts (for example, violence against women) but feed into dishonest cultural myths. For instance: that man lurking in the shadow of a dark street represents a small percentage of the actual gender-based violence that occurs in the world. We know that over 90% of violence against women is committed by someone known to them—a current or former partner (50%), a family member, a colleague, or a friend.
We reject images of women curled up in a corner, of women silenced by giant hands, of women reduced to doll-size next to monstrous, superhuman attackers.
These images don’t reflect reality; they’re manifestations of a violent fantasy that perpetuates the (false) belief that we can’t do anything to defend ourselves—even when they’re selling self-defense knowledge. How ironic!
We invite you to join this movement that instead raises empowerment and autonomy, breaking the generational pattern that tells us being a woman means we must be afraid.
We believe these marketing tactics are rooted in patriarchal systems that benefit from women’s fear, minimizing their power. So by rejecting fear-based strategies, we also reject systems of violence, control, and domination.
Enough with selling us our fears and insecurities! We want to see women shining. We want to see women who believe in their power. We want to see women supporting each other in solidarity. We want to see strong women.
And that’s exactly what you’ll see on our pages… and in our workshops! Welcome to a network where we lift each other up and where possibility, not fear, takes the lead.
“‘But, aren’t you afraid to travel alone? Isn’t it dangerous?’ they ask me.
My response: ‘I am dangerous.’”
— Nicole Snell, Girls Fight Back
*“Gender-based violence,” according to UN Women, refers to violence involving “harmful acts directed at an individual or a group of individuals based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, abuse of power, and harmful norms.” We could also call it “patriarchal violence,” given that it’s based on power and control dynamics fundamental to patriarchal systems. We are all affected by patriarchal violence, and we all need to fight to disrupt it.
Originally published on Mujeres Fuertes Autodefensa.
By Toby Israel, Choose Empowerment Founder
