Jamie Hood

I think part of it was I was unable to use that language for a really, really long time. And I think that that's part of how rape culture operates. Like, rape culture creates a scenario in which it's actually quite difficult to define the things that happen to you, right? Like, we sort of rationalize a lot of these things, right?

We say, like, I was drunk or maybe it wasn't that bad or maybe I misunderstood what was happening. And I think because of the shame around having endured sexual violence, you end up sort of hemming and hawing about the kind of language that you use about it, right?

We say, like, I was drunk or maybe it wasn't that bad or maybe I misunderstood what was happening. And I think because of the shame around having endured sexual violence, you end up sort of hemming and hawing about the kind of language that you use about it, right?

We say, like, I was drunk or maybe it wasn't that bad or maybe I misunderstood what was happening. And I think because of the shame around having endured sexual violence, you end up sort of hemming and hawing about the kind of language that you use about it, right?

And so for me, you know, particularly because I was not a model victim, you know, like I just wasn't. And that I think I had to make peace with that in order to get to a place where I was able to understand that what had happened to me was bad and was wrong and I didn't deserve it, you know? And so like coming to language,

And so for me, you know, particularly because I was not a model victim, you know, like I just wasn't. And that I think I had to make peace with that in order to get to a place where I was able to understand that what had happened to me was bad and was wrong and I didn't deserve it, you know? And so like coming to language,

And so for me, you know, particularly because I was not a model victim, you know, like I just wasn't. And that I think I had to make peace with that in order to get to a place where I was able to understand that what had happened to me was bad and was wrong and I didn't deserve it, you know? And so like coming to language,

Like being able to narrativize the experiences that I went through and specifically being able to say like what happened to me was rape, you know, unequivocally. That was like one of the biggest hurdles to cross. Being able to put a name to it unlocked something for me.

Like being able to narrativize the experiences that I went through and specifically being able to say like what happened to me was rape, you know, unequivocally. That was like one of the biggest hurdles to cross. Being able to put a name to it unlocked something for me.

Like being able to narrativize the experiences that I went through and specifically being able to say like what happened to me was rape, you know, unequivocally. That was like one of the biggest hurdles to cross. Being able to put a name to it unlocked something for me.

And, you know, when I started reading from the book or like reading early iterations of it like years ago, people would come up to me and say like they had never thought about their experiences in that way before. And like that was something that felt so beautiful and like was one of the reasons why it felt important to actually write this book.

And, you know, when I started reading from the book or like reading early iterations of it like years ago, people would come up to me and say like they had never thought about their experiences in that way before. And like that was something that felt so beautiful and like was one of the reasons why it felt important to actually write this book.

And, you know, when I started reading from the book or like reading early iterations of it like years ago, people would come up to me and say like they had never thought about their experiences in that way before. And like that was something that felt so beautiful and like was one of the reasons why it felt important to actually write this book.

Because for many, many years I thought I was just sort of writing and I didn't think I was going to publish it. Right. But I think seeing responses from audiences, you know, when I was like performing it, it made me feel like actually I was doing something important that wasn't only about naming my own experience, but that was opening a space for other people to find a language for theirs as well.

Because for many, many years I thought I was just sort of writing and I didn't think I was going to publish it. Right. But I think seeing responses from audiences, you know, when I was like performing it, it made me feel like actually I was doing something important that wasn't only about naming my own experience, but that was opening a space for other people to find a language for theirs as well.

Because for many, many years I thought I was just sort of writing and I didn't think I was going to publish it. Right. But I think seeing responses from audiences, you know, when I was like performing it, it made me feel like actually I was doing something important that wasn't only about naming my own experience, but that was opening a space for other people to find a language for theirs as well.

Yeah, I mean, I think this is another thing that I struggled with for a long time, which is like a feeling of exceptionalism. And it's funny to use that word because I think we tend to imagine it as having like a positive connotation. But actually, what I felt was that I was singular somehow in like the suffering that I had endured. And that was part of the reason I felt so ashamed of it.

Yeah, I mean, I think this is another thing that I struggled with for a long time, which is like a feeling of exceptionalism. And it's funny to use that word because I think we tend to imagine it as having like a positive connotation. But actually, what I felt was that I was singular somehow in like the suffering that I had endured. And that was part of the reason I felt so ashamed of it.

Yeah, I mean, I think this is another thing that I struggled with for a long time, which is like a feeling of exceptionalism. And it's funny to use that word because I think we tend to imagine it as having like a positive connotation. But actually, what I felt was that I was singular somehow in like the suffering that I had endured. And that was part of the reason I felt so ashamed of it.

You know, I was like, because I had never really heard people talk about these things before. And I don't know if that's just my upbringing or like the circles that I moved through, but I didn't really feel like there were other people who were sharing those experiences.