Many of us know Mia Yim as an amazing female wrestler (currently signed to WWE NXT). She’s received tons of accolades throughout her wrestling career, and there should be tons more heaped on her before she’s ready to hang up her wrestling attire. But there’s a dark side to her story, and it’s something many in the industry, as well as in the general public, have been forced to deal with, and that’s abuse from their significant others.
It’s a difficult road to navigate, and that’s putting it mildly. We all know domestic abuse happens, and even have friends that deal with it in one way or another, but many are so good at keeping it hidden that we may have inklings of it, but never know. Other times, we may turn a blind eye to it because we think the person can defend themselves or they have the type of personality that allows us to make the excuse that they provoke it.
The truth is there will always people that push the boundaries, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s allowed to abuse them physically or mentally. No one deserves that. Period.
Stepping forward
Every now and then we’re lucky to have someone step forward and draw attention to what’s happening.
The hardest thing for anyone to do is to come forward and admit they were or are being abused. They feel humiliated and their self confidence has taken a beating over the course of the relationship, and that makes it even harder.
They’re taking a leap of faith that someone will listen to them and help. They’re facing the mindset where some don’t want to become entangled in the situation, think the person did something to deserve it, or simply don’t care.
All accusations should be taken seriously until proven false, and fake reports should be dealt with once proven false. But to dismiss something because of this or that without doing a legitimate investigation.
Mia Yim commented on this during an interview with Brian Pacheco at nylag.org.
“BRIAN: Did people believe you when you came forward? Did they think you were credible?
MIA: Friends that had experienced abuse themselves believed me because they saw the signs. I was isolating myself. I wasn’t happy. My family believed me, too, because I wasn’t acting the way they were used to. However, many of my ex’s friends did not believe me. They assumed I didn’t know what I was talking about or was exaggerating. Many people thought because I was muscular and a wrestler that this couldn’t happen to me. I didn’t fit the stereotype of what a survivor of domestic violence looks like.
BRIAN: You wrestle in the WWE. People see you as physically strong. Did this impact how people viewed your claims when you disclosed you are a survivor?
MIA: Absolutely. I received a lot of “Why didn’t you fight back?” from people on social media when in reality I tried. There’s only so much I could do against a man who was physically stronger than me. But WWE has been amazing to me. When I did my first show with them two years ago, they featured my domestic violence story. And fans would come up to me and say I was brave or disclosed their own abuse. It’s been a big part of my healing process.
MIA: For survivors: Silence is the abuser’s best weapon. If you feel ready and safe, consider speaking up, try getting help. I was surprised at the amount of support I received when I opened up. I honestly didn’t expect it. Even if it feels like you have isolated yourself, the friends and family who love you will always be there for you. It’s OK to open up and ask for help. And if your loved ones don’t support you, call a hotline, or visit a local domestic violence organization.
For society: It takes a lot of courage for a survivor to come forward. If someone discloses to you, don’t question them, just validate their story and give them support.”
She’s a survivor
There’s no doubt Mia is a survivor, and she’s as credible as one can be.
“BRIAN: Finish this sentence, “I am credible because…”
MIA: I am credible because I am a survivor. I stand for the people who appear strong in the public eye, or to their loved ones, but who experience the horrors of abuse in private. There is no stereotypical victim. It can happen to anyone regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation etc. The #IamCredible gives voice to all survivors. Share your story!”
As others have stated when they came forward, Mia discovered a network of friends that had either suffered similar abuse or stepped in to help her directly. She’s cited WWE superstar Shelton Benjamin as a huge supporter of hers.
We never know who will help us and who won’t, but that doesn’t mean we should remain quiet if this happens to us. Like many things, we’re in this together and should have each other’s backs.
If you are suffering from abuse and need help, or know someone that is, you can get help here.
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