By The
Face of Abuse: What does it look like to you? A man with a five o’clock
shadow and a “wifebeater” T-shirt, perhaps? He’s probably sitting in a
well-worn recliner and shouting, “Shut up, bitch! Go fix me a turkey pot
pie!” If this is the image you conjured in your mind’s eye, then you
don’t know Jacqueline about the Face of Abuse as it appears to far too
many men.Similar to the supernatural creature known as the Hydra, the Face of Abuse is a loathsome monster with many faces. And like that nightmarish serpent, the Face regenerates two heads for each one that’s severed, and its breath and blood are the deadliest of poisons. Unlike the image of the male chauvinistic brute that mainstream society associates with abuse, the Face can be female, and at first she seems far from the dreadful reptile of Greek mythology.
This Face of Abuse begins as one of exquisite beauty. Ask any guy who’s come eye to eye with this she-beast and at first he’ll describe soft, loving eyes, angelic cheekbones, and a smile that took his breath away. Beneath this façade of expertly applied lipstick and eyeshadow, however, lurks a monstrosity that harbors a seething animosity toward men. It won’t be long before she attacks her unfortunate Victim with unmatched and unchecked violence and ferocity; such is the case for a creature spawned upon the arid plains of No Accountability. Punching, scratching, biting, and kicking are all too common, and the law of the jungle dictates that the Victim must suffer these attacks in silence and restraint: bruises, cuts, and even trips to the hospital are a regular occurrence, yet the damage to his psyche goes even deeper. If there’s an upside to this incarnation of the Face, it’s that it doesn’t last long.
