According to statistics, approximately 120 million girls worldwide have experienced sexual assault before the age of 20. Additionally, 35% of women globally have faced mental or physical violence.
Seeing these numbers is deeply shocking. Why do incidents of harm against women occur so frequently? What can we do to help women protect themselves?
In light of this, I have compiled some self-defense methods, focusing on the most common threats. Using simple descriptions, I aim to make it easy for every girl to understand and quickly learn self-protection.
Do you know what PUA is?
PUA, short for Pick Up Artist, refers to individuals who use various techniques to attract and captivate the opposite sex. It originated in the West and was initially intended to teach people reasonable social skills to help them start and build relationships better. However, the original intention of PUA has been distorted, and its content has been mixed with elements of emotional manipulation and psychological control, leading to impure motives. They use various tricks to deceive others for personal gain, evolving into “malicious PUAs.
How PUA Executes Scams?
The methods employed by malicious PUAs are traceable and typically encompass the following characteristics and tactics, which we can be mindful of and discern in interpersonal interactions:
- Common PUA Tricks
- Estrangement: PUA-style communication channels are limited to face-to-face or online conversations between the two parties. It’s difficult for you to get genuine access to the other person’s social circle or professional life. For instance, PUAs often create multiple fake identities; when you express a desire to meet their friends or visit their workplace or home, they always make various excuses.
- Targeted Approach: PUA techniques are not one-size-fits-all; they often tailor their approaches based on the individual’s lack of emotional experience, romantic fantasies, or feelings of loneliness and longing for companionship. For example, in the opening example, Xiaochun and Xiaop met in a “local breakup recovery support group.”
- Scripted Dialogues: In the PUA community, there are various scripted dialogue techniques to create an atmosphere and captivate others, thereby building relationships. For instance, kino (casual physical contact) and cold reading (reading people’s minds when they’re off guard). Common phrases include “You seem outgoing and enthusiastic, but actually, you’re quite lonely inside,” or “You’re generous and independent, but perhaps that also makes you prone to criticism, putting pressure on yourself.” These statements may seem observant but lack specificity, making them applicable to most people.
- Leveraging: In addition to discussing emotions, PUAs also collect various private information from women, even secretly taking intimate photos (if discovered, they claim it’s for love and commemoration), to exploit their sunk cost psychology, feelings of luck, and fear, as means to further control and manipulate them.
