People need to stop protecting predators

ried about how you could have ruined someone’s life.

Olive Garden, and bacon. There’d be no more sugar-free jello cups or fudge pops. You could drink a Coke and feel no shame.

To be thin is to be shameless. To wear a bikini and not feel the stares and glares of society sitting in beach chairs. To go on a date with a hot guy and not be asked if he’s your brother. To go to the movies, order popcorn, and want extra butter without being asked, “are you sure you want extra butter?” To have jeans that fit. To order any and everything on the menu. To actually eat “all you can eat” at an all-you-can-eat buffet. To not have a constant calorie calculator in your head. To be thin is to be beautiful.

When you are fat, you are not beautiful. You do not have such luxuries. You have oatmeal-colored Spanx and cottage cheese thighs. You have weight loss ads and metabolism pills. You have entire stores that do not carry clothing to fit your ugly. You have doctor’s visits that never fail to diagnose you as fat. You have severed belt loops and hip dips. You have a whole genre of jokes tailored to your excess.

When you are a woman and you are fat, you’re hilarious. The comical relief. When you are a woman and you are fat, you’re a world-renowned vocalist. The belly of the ball. And it’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings. Except, you are the fat lady, and you have yet to sing. It’s not over. It’s never over when your body is the punchline of every joke. When being fat has become the only thing you are known for. When being fat means the only talents that you can possibly possess are the abilities to crack a joke or hum a note. When you are a woman and you are fat, you’re a preconceived idea that the world has claimed as truth. Nothing more than a body that takes up too much space. When you are a woman and you are fat, you are matter that does not actually matter.

You are the one no one sits with at lunch, the supporting role in all the best movies; second best, the one no one ever remembers. You're never the “hot girl.” You're the funny one. You will always be the funny one.

And they say, “big girls need love too.” As if being fat means you shouldn’t be loved already.

This world is not tailored to fit you. There aren’t enough bolts of fabric to fit your surplus of a body. But you are more than your body.

So when your bath bomb has fizzled away, and your skin has begun to prune, watch the water drain beneath you. Feel the cold air against your soggy, wet skin. Dry yourself off, and feel the moisture escape your body. Look at yourself in the mirror, and heed these words:

Dear fat girl, do not let your circumstances be because you are not small. Do not let your size define you. Don’t let it hinder your happiness. Stop seeking validation from the mouths of predators when you are their prey. You do not owe them anything, so you eat whatever the fuck you want. Devour it. Lick the plate clean. And if they ask why, tell them because you want to.

ABIGAIL SCHMIDT Mass communication sophomore

acschmid@my.loyno.edu

Yes, that was me who got your friend kicked out of the bar. And I will unashamedly do it again the next time I see them there. It pays to be friends with the right people. You know who it doesn’t pay to be friends with? Rapists.

I will never understand how someone can find out, with rock-solid proof, that their friend raped someone and continue to be friends with them. How can you look at them the same? And how can you look at yourself the same for standing with them? It’s bad enough that these people continue to show their faces. People who defend them are no different.

I am not trying to give a holier-than-thou rant on how I’m better than everyone and how my friends and I are sin-free angels. I am saying, however, that if I find out one of them assaults someone, they are not my friend anymore. It is that simple. I have heard countless times of people saying that they continue to be friends with a known rapist because they feel bad for them, or they would have no friends otherwise. Are you really worried about looking like you have no friends? You should be more worried about how you look to other people after you rape someone, or associate and defend someone who has. You should be more wor-

It is completely backward. So many people work so hard to defend and cover for their friends after they do something terrible when it is so much easier, and better for everyone, to cut them off. And spread the word that they are a bad person. Would you rather protect one villain, or protect several innocent people? No matter how much you defend yourself or your friend, there is no coming back from this. Modern misogynists call it a witch hunt. So please, report when you see the devil. Don’t dance with him.

How do you think victims of sexual assault feel when they see their assaulter walking around campus with their head held high as if no one can touch them? Or when they walk into a room full of people who are still friends with that person? You should be responsible for calling your “friends” out and cutting ties when they assault someone. It’s not you ruining their reputation; they did it to themselves when they put their hands on someone without proper consent.

There are people on this campus who will not look me in the eye because I have called them or their friends out on being a rapist. I call that a win. That’s just an admission of guilt.

Trust me, losing someone you considered a friend because they raped someone is not a loss. Because if they do it once with no repercussions, chances are they will do it again. People who think that is okay only see others as objects. And that is not someone you should want in your life.

Loyola, hold your friends accountable. And if they assault someone, they are not your friend.

HOWLS & GROWLS

HOWL to sandwiches

GROWL to the patriarchy

HOWL to Women's History Month

GROWL to all nighters

HOWL to women

GROWL to unsustainable throws

HOWL to chocolate parfaits

GROWL to getting hacked

Editorial Board

Macie Batson & Jackie Galli