Source: AleksandarNakic / Getty
Any time that social media engages in a collective discussion about what should and should not be classified as abuse, it always becomes painfully apparent that certain abusive acts have been normalized. Many tend to assume that if there are no black eyes, broken bones, or fists being thrown that abuse is not present.
Abuse can manifest in a variety of different ways. According to Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, the six types of domestic violence include physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, mental and psychological abuse, financial and economic abuse, and cultural abuse.
This week, discussions around the Saweetie and Quavo elevator incident unearthed a wealth of problematic mindsets in regard to what constitutes abuse. Countless tweets fired off by both women and men revealed how much we have normalized physical violence within romantic relationships.
To raise awareness, we thought it might be helpful to highlight abusive actions that have a tendency to be normalized. If we missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments below.
Pulling or shoving
It doesn’t matter how heated an argument becomes, any form of pulling, pushing, or shoving falls beneath the umbrella of abuse. Physical abuse often begins with actions that some would deem “small” such as pushing, grabbing, or yanking. These actions tend to get progressively worse over time and escalate to more serious offenses such as slapping, kicking, and punching.
