Hitting and shoving are the first things that come to mind when you think of domestic abuse.
Abuse can however come in many forms and when writer Zahira Kelly started tweeting hypothetical scenarios about other forms of domestic abuse – namely verbal and emotional abuse, it got people thinking.
Using the hashtag #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou, one of Kelly’s tweets read “after u said no to sex & argued over it, he went out to pick up a girl to cheat with & teach u a lesson the same nite.”
Shortly after her tweets, many people – mostly women, started sharing stories of various forms of abuse, manipulation and controlling behaviour:
#1
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he threatens to kill himself every time you talk about breaking up or taking a break
— FKA Sarah (@WithALittleJazz) May 12, 2016
#2
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but you’ve watched him punch enough walls and destroy enough objects to wonder if you’re next
— a wandering ghost (@pale_teen) May 12, 2016
#3
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but when you try to tell him how he makes you feel, it becomes what you did wrong & you walk away guilty & invalidated
— Claire Batchelder (@batch_elder) May 12, 2016
#4
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he likes you insecure and breaks you down if you dare become confident.
— hellatrix lestrange (@sky0nce) May 9, 2016
#5
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he compares you to other women, criticizes your body and constantly tells you, you aren’t doing enough for him.
— Iman A. (@aveiman) May 10, 2016
#6
#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou is making me realize how many abusive relationships I’ve actually been in…
— mama (@hansen_mary) May 13, 2016
#7
#maybehedoesnthityou i never treated a girl with disrespect or any of these crazy moments. Life is too short to anything but happy!!
— R.J. Guy (@ratedrguy10) May 13, 2016
#8
#maybehedoesnthityou but he only does what he wants as a parent & makes you do all the unfun stuff so ur kids think he’s the “cool” parent
— april kitt (@april_kitt) May 8, 2016
#9
#maybehedoesnthityou but he constantly criticizes your clothes, your makeup, your body, instructs you to work out and be more ‘feminine.’
— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) May 11, 2016
These tweets will hopefully lead to some form of change which can help people in any form of an abusive situation.