by Julie Young of DAILYNews
There is nothing more dangerous than a pissed off woman, said Erin Weed, founder of Girls Fight Back, in her lecture on Monday night.
“Girls Fight Back started out as an idea and it has grown into this whole movement,” Weed said of her nationwide personal safety program.
With a mix of humor and personal testimony, Weed presented practical advice for women today, closing with a hands-on demonstration of “how to open a can of whoop-ass.”
“Men and women live in different worlds when it comes to our fear and anxiety,” Weed said. “[Women] scream from the rooftops how free we are, but we’re afraid to walk to our cars at night.”
Weed covered a spectrum of topics relating to women’s self-defense including street safety, being a bad “victim,” home security, social smarts and how to be cyber-savvy.
“The problem with violence against women is that we aren’t talking about it,” Weed said.
By “opening the dialogue on campus,” Weed said students can become proactive against violence.
There are three steps that people can do to protect themselves: trust their intuition, be a “bad victim” and learn to fight, Weed said.
If you’re shaking hands with a guy at a party and get the “creepy vibe,” listen to it, Weed said.
“The two big anecdotes [to street violence] are body language and awareness,” Weed said.
She said women on cell phones can become distracted, which makes them appear more vulnerable to attack.
Weed also cautioned students to avoid putting too much information on the Internet.
“I think technology is great, but our safety protocol needs to adjust with it,” Weed said.
On the party scene, Weed emphasized the importance of sticking together.
“The most dangerous thing we do is to get separated and not look out for each other,” Weed said.
She added that alcohol is the number one date-rape drug, so women should be proactive if they choose to drink.
“A lot of people don’t realize some of the safety measures they should be taking and the risks out there,” said Tess VanDenover, sophomore in psychology.
Several men also attended the lecture, including Thomas Hinkeldey, sophomore in finance and 6-foot-6-inch Jacob Gionet, freshman in computer engineering.
“I think this lecture will be a great check to realize how important women’s safety is in society today,” Hinkeldey said.
