SPEAK up!

Silence on subjects like mental and reproductive health is worth speaking up about. I grew up in a household where these topics were pushed to the side. Periods, sex and mental health were never talked about openly. In my Asian household, it was fine to gossip about each other and discuss what’s for dinner but rarely did I hear about anything else.

This silence kept me quiet and small. It distanced me from my voice, my thoughts and my emotions by creating a space between what was predetermined as acceptable and unacceptable. Silence plays a key role in keeping the status quo intact, but when our health is being threatened it’s the appropriate time to SPEAK UP! 

Speaking up about things that are uncomfortable to discuss is important especially when our reproductive rights are being attacked. The Supreme Court draft about overturning abortion rights has many people shaken (any legislation on women bodies makes me uncomfortable). Using our voices to express our emotions and vocalize our opinions is essential. There is no place for silence when our bodies, our choices and our freedoms are at jeopardy. It almost seems ingrained in me to be quiet about issues that are uncomfortable to talk about. However, it is more uncomfortable to live in a world where access to sexual and mental health resources are scarce, or potentially non-existent! So instead of being silent - SPEAK UP!! Louder than our mother’s ever could. Louder so that the world will hear everything we have to say.  

- xo, Rebecca