Dear Girls, Please Stop Throwing Punches

I mean this quite literally.

Often while walking between classes, I see this: there's a couple talking, and the girl starts flinging slaps and punches at the guy. They're both laughing at first, but the guy turns away and asks her to stop, to which she only hits harder until he protests and grabs her hands to get her to leave him alone.

Other times, when I'm with friends, the girls in my circles hit, slap, push, throw things at, and kick the guys around them. They tackle them, they smack their heads, and often they're even doing it to hurt the guys, who haven't done anything beyond make a smart remark or teasingly steal their phone or pencil.


This is not okay.


Even if you are not trying to hurt the guy, and your attitude is all in good fun, that does not give you an excuse to be physically inappropriate. If a guy did that to you in the name of good fun, you would probably and rightfully have a reason to hit him hard, and those around you would probably encourage that.

Good guys, the ones you are hitting, will not hit you back. All they can do is protest and duck your punches. Because they were trained to be respectful of your body and your person, and not to abuse you, whether intentionally or just in jest. Thanks to you, they've come to expect girls to hit them when they say something funny. My own guy friends will cringe if, after teasing me, I lean or move toward them. They expect that I will smack them or try to hurt them. And it breaks me inside that this has become the norm.

There is a video going around the internet of little boys being told to hit a little girl about their age. They refuse because they say it would be ungentlemanly of them.

Girls, it is unladylike and unwomanly for you to hit guys without reason, even jokingly.

Please have respect for your brothers-in-Christ who are fellow members of Christ's body, for your boyfriend who may someday be your husband, for your best friends who are practically your brothers. Do not abuse them in this way. You may think that you are not, because you are just joking around and they can take it, but this is not godly or respectful behavior. It is not funny. It is attention-getting, demeaning, and annoying to those around you and to the guy you are pushing around. Be respectful and mature. If a guy says or does something that is not necessarily wrong but that you do not like, rise above it. Don't bring yourself down to the level of crossing physical boundaries. Unless a guy is himself crossing inappropriate boundaries with you, you have no reason to hit him or throw things at him. Even if he doesn't have a problem with it, it is still not appropriate nor godly. Have respect for God's image and for the young men around you and in your life by treating their bodies and their persons respectfully.

Luke 6:3: "And as you wish others would do to you, do so to them."