HookUp tip by Carolina
A healthy relationship is one where both you AND your partner feel happy, comfortable and safe. This doesn’t mean smooth sailing 24/7, but it does mean that you feel emotionally and physically safe in your relationship and that it makes you feel happy and good about yourself. One important thing that many teens often forget is that it’s healthy to continue pursuing individual interests and go out with their own friends when they are romantically involved.
What does dating abuse look like?
If you’re unsure whether or not you’re in a healthy relationship, learn more here to help you figure out where you and your partner stand.
- Physical abuse: Any unwanted or forced physical contact, like pushing, hitting, spitting, punching and slapping.
- Emotional abuse: Manipulative behavior that results in you feeling bad about how your looks, your intelligence or anything else. Controlling behavior is a hallmark of emotional abuse, like when your partner doesn’t like your friends and instead of just voicing their displeasure, they stop you from seeing your friends altogether.
- Sexual coercion: Using their power as your partner, he or she may pressure or use force to make you participate in sexual activity that you don’t feel comfortable with.
- Reproductive coercion: This type of coercion occurs when a male partner tries to get his female partner pregnant, either by hiding her birth control pills or preventing her from effectively using any other contraceptive method. If possible, protect yourself by choosing long-lasting birth control methods that you have complete control over, like long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs).
- Digital abuse: When a partner uses social media to push you around and keep tabs on you by hacking into your accounts. Digital abuse also happens when a partner publicizes private information or pictures of yourself without your consent. If you are experiencing digital abuse, take steps to protect yourself now.
- Financial abuse: When your partner uses money or your job to exert control over you, such as threatening to get you fired if you don’t behave a certain way or forbidding you to work the hours you want. Financial abuse also happens when someone withholds your own money from you or spends your money without your permission.
If you think you're experiencing any of the above, get advice on what to do next.