Written piece
The Perfect Victim
Sinenhlanhla Mlilowokunqoba Magcaba
South Africa
About this piece
When a sexual violence victim/survivor speaks about their grievances, society often has queries and there seems to be an unknown template for what "the perfect victim" looks like and it boggles my mind because there is no perfect victim, only people who've been violated.
What does the perfect victim look like?
Will they type their fingers swollen,
Shower social media with think pieces,
Will their heads ache in pursuit of justice
Scorch their throats with intoxicants
Will they share the hashtag SAY HER NAME
Will they cease all romantic endevours
What does the perfect victim look like?
Will their hair twist into knots, while despondency eats it coil by coil?
Will they arm their wardrobe with feel good clothing,
Incase they don't have the energy to think of what to wear?
Will floral-lilac remnants of
the person they were before,
Stroll down memory lane, evoking
Misplaced felicity?
Will their smiles slouch
Like mothers’
Who've given their purity, nurture, and zest
To have none of it reciprocated.
What does the perfect victim look like?