Natalie’s boyfriend Mike is mean, makes fun of her and calls her names. These are all red flags of an unhealthy relationship. View the video and read our peer advocate advice on addressing this situation after the jump.

Peer Advocate Advice:

Relationships should feel good, and no one deserves a boyfriend or girlfriend who makes them feel bad.
It’s a really difficult place to be in when you really like your boyfriend or girlfriend but don’t like the way they treat you.

And it’s hard to know how to support a friend in the same situation, but remember that listening to your friend, believing them and refraining from badmouthing their crush will show you care.

You can tell your friend that they should never be made to feel embarrassed, humiliated, or guilty by their partner. If you see a friend going through this, try mentioning it in a caring way. Let them know in a non-judgmental way that you are worried about them and that they can talk to you about what they are going through.

Natalie’s boyfriend is mean, makes fun of her and calls her names. Those are red flags of an unhealthy relationship.
When a boyfriend or girlfriend embarrasses you, humiliates you, puts you down, or makes you feel guilty all the time, it can be really hurtful and damaging.

There’s no excuse for anyone to use anger or emotional abuse to get what they want, and it’s never your fault if they do.

If you feel you might be in an unhealthy relationship, remember there is no reason to feel any shame. This can happen to anyone. We hear from smart and successful people all the time. Don’t blame yourself – it is not your fault.
You might think that if you just change the way you are that you can fix the relationship – but sometimes no matter what you do, the other person won’t change.

Also, remember you have options. You have the right to be in any relationship or the right to end a relationship. It may not be easy to end an unhealthy relationship so contact us if you want to talk about it.

Coralee’s past accolades also include a community outreach collaboration with the Travis County Sheriff’s office which featured a PSA she created with fellow students, titled Control is not Love. Her short documentary Breaking the Chain will also be shown during the film festival. Check out festival screening info by clicking here. Check out The Line PSA below:

www.abcmedianet.com
www.soapnetmedianet.com

]]> http://www.loveisrespect.org/2009/07/31/loveisrespect-on-general-hospital-2/feed/ 9 http://www.loveisrespect.org/2008/11/18/did-you-see-us-at-the-movies/ http://www.loveisrespect.org/2008/11/18/did-you-see-us-at-the-movies/#comments Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:25:10 +0000 loveisrespect http://www.loveisrespect.org/?p=97

Hey, did you see High School Musical 3 or SAW IV? 

In case you have been living under a rock (or have not seen the movie), we ran an ad before the start of movies in parts of California and in parts of Texas .  The ad asks a simple question: “Does your relationship need a makeover?”  The question makes you think about your current relationship, drawing attention to the fact that you have rights and deserve to be in a healthy relationship.  We now have a quiz on our website (www.loveisrespect.org or on our Youtube account at ) that asks about your relationship.

We want to hear what you thought about our ad?  Think about all the times you have to be quiet: at school, during a movie (especially High School Musical 3), at church, when your parents are talking to you… the list could go on forever.  Basically, you have to be quiet forever, and your opinion is not highly valued.  We think differently! 

Tell us anything you want, good or bad.  Was the ad cool or stupid?  What parts were your favorites?  Did you tell your friends about the ad?  If you were in charge of making the ad, what would you have done differently?

If you have any questions or want to talk more about the quiz, call or chat with us (oh yeah, we have a chat service that you can access on our website).  This is your chance to be heard, so speak out!     

Today we launched our LOVE campaign in partnership with the Texas Office of the Attorney General. We’ll be sending campaign resources out to Texas high schools soon, but they’re available to everyone via our website right now. There’s videos, music, and other sparkly stuff (like the logo above) you can use to help us spread the LOVE message. 

Let us know what you think!

The PSA is great because it gives an overview of topics that we hear about a lot on calls and chats, and stresses the fact that these situations are no less serious or dangerous because the people in the relationships are teens.

The video was produced by pre-teen, and teenage women participating in the Reel Grrls program, an after school program to get youth involved in media. Way to go, Reel Grrls, keep up the socially conscious work!