• Lizzy picks up the glitter gauntlet and nails it at The Nature of Beauty.
• Claire wears green colors at Claire’s Beauty.
• Luna shows off Detrivore’s newest collection at TOXiD-LOTUS.NET
• Bekka sizes up OHWTO Lip Butters at glostix
• Sharon’s lips get Sweet on Lip Honey (again) at Hello There, Blondie!

Lookit what I got in the mail yesterday!

Yep, my very first Influenster VoxBox! This edition was inspired by all things love. Or so they claim. Personally? I just see a bunch of awesome stuff that I get to try out for free. Weehee!

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Gilette Venus & Olay Razor – new to me!
Stash Herbal Tea Sampler – NOT new to me. I’ve been a fan of Stash teas for about 12 years now!
Truvia Sweetener – NOT new to me. I tried Truvia when the stevia craze first hit, and I actually quite like it.
Ghiradelli Creamy Devotion 32% Cacao Milk Chocolate Bar – Ghiradelli is NOT new to me, but this particular bar is.
Kiss Nail Dress – new to me! I can’t wait to try these out!

Of course, part of the deal with Influenster is that you have to try the products and tell people what you think about them. Which I will most certainly do here: All foody items will go in one post, the razor will get its own, and I’ll hit the nail stickers on a Mani Monday. Sounds fresh, right?

Take Action or Share Awareness

The more I think about it, the more I want to say…

I am not a statistic. I am not some number that should be pitied or nannied. I am not some figure that can be thrown around to prove a case of fabricated “truths” against someone and their business.

I am a living, breathing, bleeding human being. Not only have I been shoved into one side of this arguement by you against my will, and been outright lied to… I’ve also just been used.

You tell me that the jokes aren’t funny, but you turn around and point me out, without ever saying my name, with numbers. That offends me more than a reddit meme ever could.

For anyone who would dare silence a person because you don’t like the way they cope with a very real trauma, and on behalf of all the other victims who have been offended by this recent outburst: Fuck you.

EDIT: I just caught wind of what, apparently, “normal survivors” do to cope. Once more, we’re faced with total ignorance on the subject. More silencing. More fear of judgement. It just astounds me how people can impose their thoughts of how someone “should” deal with being victimized, forcing the victims into a proverbial corner all over again. It absolutely sickens and terrifies me.

I had to add this quote from a group I’m in, because it’s just so brilliant, “So EVERY SINGLE RAPE CRISIS GROUP IS JUST A BUNCH OF WOMEN and MEN BRAGGING????”

Apparently so!

EDIT 2/22/12: The individual who made this comment has since apologized. I greatly appreciate and accept the gesture. I sincerely hope that anyone else who has made such statements, whether intentional or not, also realizes and offers an apology for all those who have been hurt.

EDIT #2: The post in question has been edited, however, I and other enraged victims refuse to let this slide. As such, I am posting this image for context:

EDIT 02/23/12: I find it entirely interesting and extremely disheartening that absolutely no statement of apology has been issued by the blogger in question. When I approached her and told her my feelings on her using rape as a platform from which to lambast someone, all she said was that she “removed that from [the] post as it was taking away from [her] intent.” Not because she knew it was wrong to use rape as an arguement against someone and something entirely unrelated. Not because she was remorseful about the people she hurt. It was removed because she didn’t like being called out on it. And now, we wait. I and a good number of others simply wait for her to apologize for denying us he right to heal in our own way, and for using our trauma as a way to bring down somebody’s business. I have a bad feeling that this apology will never be received, as now the entire post has been deleted, comments and all – it’s easier on the ego to hide from your mistakes than it is to own up to them, I suppose.

But hiding what happened does not change what has been done.

Yes yes, I know. Yesterday I said I was actually getting into the whole diapered-Cupid and pink-frilly stuff, but even so, this cracked me up. It’s good to stay in touch with your bitterness, yeah?

Hope your February 14th is safe, warm and non-sucky!