If you follow Pretty Deadly Self Defense on social media, you already know that every week we celebrate #WarriorWomenWednesday : we post original portrait illustrations by independent female artists, along with a bio of our weekly Warrior Woman’s life, work and legacy, whether it’s part of ancient history or still in the making. We define “warrior women” as battlefield warriors, social justice warriors and gender pioneers — anyone who defies, redefines and advances what it means to be a woman.

We’ve had some amazing results since we launched this series in 2019: Ananya Rao-Middleton, our first artist, has launched a…

Thanks to our partners at Aurat Raaj, Pretty Deadly Self Defense has been working with Pakistan youth group The Mirror, to develop a self defense against street harassment workshop the members of The Mirror can bring directly to their communities.

The Mirror is an organization based in Lahore, Pakistan dedicated to educating and eradicating gender-based harassment. They report that street harassment in Pakistan has been reaching nearly intolerable levels, and can range from mildly annoying to physically threatening and, in a few cases, have resulted in death.

Street harassment itself is a problem everywhere. Usually targeting women, it’s a form of male ritual, dominance over public space, establishing territory, and intrusion based on a sense of entitlement to women’s right to occupy space as well as a right to privacy within that public space, e.g., the right to not engage…

[Warning: this article contains descriptions of domestic violence. If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic abuse, go directly to the end of this article to find immediate help and support information.]

Today is the final match of the UEFA European Cup: Italy vs England. I’m a football fan (soccer, for Americans): I’ve played it myself (badly), I love the athleticism, the connection of a team when they’re setting up to score a goal, the beauty of the game.

Today’s match promises to be thrilling for fans and former players alike: it’s the first time England has made it…

I had dinner with a young friend last week, catching up for the first time since last summer. The last time we saw each other was online, in some Zoom calls that a small group of used to check in and support each other during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic.

This time, we were meeting at a restaurant to enjoy some food in the beautiful garden of a favorite Thai restaurant here in Berlin. A warm summer night, delicious food and good company, it almost felt like pre-pandemic times.

So much has changed for everyone in the…

In the years I’ve been teaching self defense, one of the things I’ve learned about people who sign up for self defense lessons is that they aren’t just interested in learning physical self defense techniques; often, they’re real motivation is about learning boundaries.

Learning, setting and defending boundaries is something we’re supposed to learn in childhood, usually by our parents and reinforced at school. …

I’m a fan of mass transit, but for me, the ongoing pandemic has meant less subway usage and more private transportation when I need to make a trip across town I can’t reasonably reach by foot.

A few weeks ago, I did just that. I took an Uber to an appointment to get some documents notarized that actually wasn’t that far away, but it was windy and raining something awful, and the walk from the nearest underground stop to the notary’s office was long enough that I was sure to get drenched. So I hailed an Uber.

I was leaving…

Last week I posted an article exploring some aspects of toxic masculinity via a date I went on in December 2020. The article received quite a few comments, but one in particular kept coming up that I could not figure out until someone graciously explained their viewpoint in great detail.

In the article, I mentioned that my date did not extend the same consideration for my safety that he would have extended to his adult daughter. The response to this point from commenters was, consistently, that the guy was not invested in me enough to consider being worth protecting. …

Earlier this year, I was surprised to learn that the term “toxic masculinity” was originally coined by the Men’s Movement in the 1980s and 1990s. All this time, I honestly thought “toxic masculinity” was a feminist academic term to describe men who are assholes without calling them assholes.

“Toxic masculinity” refers to traditional patriarchal and societal constructs and expectations of boys and men that encourages competitiveness, domination, conquering, and zero-sum thinking, while denying boys and men the tools to develop cooperation, sensitivity, and emotional intelligence. …