what does consent mean to you? i asked friends and family for their two cents (ha.) consent should be black and white, but in 2019 it still isn't. remember those "cup of tea" videos you were shown at school, perhaps at university? that's my favourite analogy. but as i found out, there are many more where that came from.
consent and feeling safe when it comes to sexual experiences is so important to me. to be honest, i have been in a situation where there was no consent on my behalf. and it vastly changed the way i see relationships. unfortunately, many of us are victims of this and, if not, they likely know someone who is.
the aim of this little project was for people to unapologetically let out their emotions and opinions on the subject. i was moved to tears by some of the responses. we need to normalise calling these people victims.
so, what does consent mean to you?
consent means...
"respecting the other person's body and mind" - kat
"that sometimes we give it just to make the situation easier. i really didn't want to have sex with this girl i was friends with, but i was already at her place and she tried hard to persuade me. i didn't want to hurt her feelings, and i felt it was too late to change my mind, so i went with it. that's such a grey area" - anon
"enthusiastic and comprehensive yesness w discussed boundaries" - lily
"literally just don't be a fucking creep. it's so obvious. so easy yet so hard for people to understand. just be a fucking decent human, not touching someone unless they clearly want it?" - j
"agreement" - lucy
"a necessity where there is equality" - m
"when someone says no, please listen. my mum always told me that" - millie
"agrees to participate fully without being forced into an act" - jenna
"spelling out boundaries. yes means yes and no means no" - brasso