According to loveisrespect.org, seventy percent of individuals between the ages of 20 and 24 have experienced victimization of some sort from a significant other. This victimization may be in the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse or exploitation.

Many of us have seen the Cot Dammit Elizabeth videos. To some, the videos are hilarious and harmless, and to others it looks like abuse. Ekow Fynn, 27, records small clips of his girlfriend Elizabeth, 21, being “lazy” and unmotivated to maintain a diet and workout schedule. He claims she asked him for help to stick to a diet and workout schedule. However, he takes things to the extreme. So much so, that it is disgusting for some of us to watch these videos. For starters, in these videos he forces her do ridiculous workouts late at night (i.e. running up and down stairs at 3 a.m. and swimming laps at midnight), pushes her forcefully into the water to swim, tells her to throw up the food she ate, and he screams at her when she does anything he does not approve of.

Tahoe Safe Alliance(2016) says “Domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to violence. And while physical injury may be the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse are also severe. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy your self-worth, lead to anxiety and depression, and make you feel helpless and alone.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but many of Ekow’s characteristics are considered abusive by the Tahoe Safe Alliance. Ekow forcefully pushes his girlfriend into the water to swim at midnight. He forces to wake up and do strenuous activities clearly against her will. He forces her to throw up the food she ate because she “asked for [my] help.” Okay, so maybe she asked for your help, but she probably never asked you to make her bulimic. Girls already have a lot of self-esteem problems, we don’t need our boyfriends telling us to throw up our food so we look good. He even calls her a “slob” when she takes naps, just adding to the emotional abuse he appears to show her often. Imagine someone calling us names when we’re exhausted after a long day. Most of us would feel defeated and unworthy, probably resulting a few tears.

Furthermore, Ekow hired someone to make sure Elizabeth stays on her diet when he can't be there to watch her. Not only is this disturbing, it is a characteristic of an abusive stalker. He is so strict on making sure she does exactly what he wants her to do and nothing else. Honestly, I pity Elizabeth.

I know a lot of you out there insist the Cot Dammit Elizabeth videos are made for fun and not harm. However, when every video he makes have at least one characteristic of abuse, how can you sit back and laugh at them? How can you not have pity for Elizabeth? If he treats her that way in front of the camera, just imagine how he is behind closed doors with nobody around. Typically abusers are more under control when other people are watching. The next time you see a Cot Dammit Elizabeth video, I challenge you to think about how you would feel in Elizabeth’s shoes before you laugh or share the video. The more you feed into an individual’s abusive personality, the more the individual becomes abusive. Stand with Elizabeth and the other 70 percent of American citizens between the ages of 20-24 who have been victimized by a significant other. Remember, love never hurts.