The recent surfacing of Ray Rice hitting and knocking unconscious his then-fiancé, Janay Palmer, in a hotel elevator has caused an absolute uproar in the news, the NFL world, and social media outlets. While I am appalled by the way the NFL handled the scandal after they initially found out about it (and it hadn’t been circulated throughout the press quite yet), I am even more upset that Janay Rice, currently the wife of Ray Rice, decided to stay with someone who abused her. While I have never been personally abused, I just cannot imagine forgiving someone for committing something so heinous. Many other people like myself share a similar outlook on this issue, sparking debate among social media outlets, specifically Twitter, with the hashtags #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft. However, I am content knowing that many, myself included, are now getting to see another viewpoint to the emotional distress that victims of domestic abuse face. This hashtag has encompassed the Twitter world, with thousands of people tweeting and discussing why they didn’t leave their abusive situation, in an effort to help others understand the challenges that victims of abuse have to overcome and spread awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence. Even celebrities have took to Twitter about the importance of this, including Skip Bayless from ESPN2.

Finally breaking her silence, Janay Rice, through an emotional Instagram post, shared her feelings on the situation one day after Rice’s contract was terminated and he was indefinitely suspended from the NFL. She said: “I woke up this morning feeling like I had a horrible nightmare, feeling like I’m mourning the death of my closest friend. But to have to accept the fact that it’s reality is a nightmare in itself. No one knows the pain that the media & unwanted options from the public has caused my family. To make us relive a moment in our lives that we regret every day is a horrible thing. To take something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass of for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific. THIS IS OUR LIFE! What don’t you all get. If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take all happiness away, you’ve succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is! Ravensnation we love you!”Many people are questioning the reasoning behind this social media movement, curious as to why people are discussing, and in some ways proud of, why they stayed in an abusive relationship, rather than asking men why they hit. As a result of this unfortunate incidence, all we can hope for is that through a tough public situations such as these, women and men who suffer or have suffered from domestic violence will have the courage to speak up, get help, and feel empowered to remove themselves from these temperamental relationships.