Image via Refuge
“If you apply a color that is just gently off-tone with your own skin tone, you can cover up any fresh bruising. It might hurt, just try your best.”
Not every battered woman shares her story as I did. An estimated 1.3 million women per year are victims of domestic violence by a partner, but a full 65% of women who live with domestic violence don’t share their stories. A case in point is that it took me nearly two years to do so.
This heart-stopping video featuring British make-up artist and YouTube celebrity?Lauren Luke does what my story did: it offers an intimate glimpse into the world of a battered woman. Created in conjunction with?Refuge.org’s “don’t cover it up,” the campaign and the video call for women to start talking and reach out for help.
Why do women hide their abuse? From ABC News:
“Women cover it up for a number of reasons,” said Nadine Kaslow, chief psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “They’re often ashamed of what happened, and feel like it was in some way their fault. And often they don’t want the perpetrator to get in trouble. They love them and they want to protect the relationship.”
It’s extremely difficult and dangerous to leave an abusive relationship. According to Refuge, two women a week are killed by a current or former partner.?There are no easy answers for victims or survivors of domestic violence. Humankind will likely struggle with this as long as there are intimate relationships. Messages such as this one can raise awareness and increase resources for abused women, and increasingly, men.
Luke points out that while her bruises were fake, this is a common routine for many women.
“Domestic violence is a huge issue and I really don’t think it gets the exposure that it needs,” Luke said in an interview posted on Refuge.org. “A lot of women follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, so I just wanted to get the point out there and let everyone know that there’s somewhere you can go if you need some support.”
