Hey all! I'm Courtney Macavinta, co-author of the best-selling book for teen girls RESPECT and founder of Respect Rx, which is devoted to empowering girls, women and their advocates to boost self-respect, sisterhood and social change in their lives—and our world.
- Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda
- Judy Blume Brings Together Team Respect Rx in L.A.
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Talking Points
- Debbie Reber
- This Week: Teen Pregnancy, Girl Crushes, Debbie Reber
- Teen Pregnancy Pact?
- Archives
- The 7 Respect Basics
- Your Rights
- for GIRLS
- for WOMEN
- for girl and women ADVOCATES
- Quizzes!
- Got a Dilemma? Get ADVICE
- Abuse + Harm + Violence (7)
- Advocates (31)
- Authors (1)
- Body Image + Health (19)
- Boundaries (6)
- Bullying + Sexual Harassment (5)
- Courtney's Blog (4)
- Equal Rights (2)
- Family (8)
- Featured (1)
- Friends + Sisterhood (12)
- Girl Stats + Studies (1)
- Girls (34)
- Help! (12)
- Journaling (3)
- Media (12)
- Parents (12)
- Programs (12)
- Quiz (4)
- Relationships (9)
- Respect Makeover (4)
- Respect Role Models (1)
- Respect Rx Groups (2)
- School (7)
- Self-Defense (2)
- Self-Respect + Self-Esteem (16)
- Sex (14)
- Social Change + Activism (19)
- Social Life (3)
- Special Events (7)
- Teachers (2)
- Women (10)
- All Made Up: A Girl's Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype and Celebrating Real Beauty by Audrey D. Brashich
- Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body by Courtney E. Martin
- Women Warriors by Teena Apeles
- Packaging Girlhood by Sharon Lamb & Lyn Mikel Brown
- The Price of Privilege by Dr. Madeline Levine
- Do I Look Fat In This? and A Very Hungry Girl by Jessica Weiner
- The Real Truth About Teens and Sex by Sabrina Weill
- The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
- 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body by Brenda Lane
- Dads and Daughters by Joe Kelly
- Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers by Alissa Quart
- GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel
- Deal With It! by Esther Drill, et al.
- The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
- Don't Give It Away! by Iyanla Vanzant
- 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History edited by Tonya Bolden
- Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
- Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good? by Miriam Adderholdt & Jan Goldberg
- Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher
- Revolution from Within by Gloria Steinem
- Schoolgirls by Peggy Orenstein
- Odd Girl Speaks Out by Rachel Simmons
- Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism by Jennifer Baumgardner & Amy Richards
- To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism edited by Rebecca Walker
- What Are My Rights? by Thomas A. Jacobs
- When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens by Bev Cobain
- Adios, Barbie by Ophira Edut
- 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body by Brenda Lane Richardson & Elane Rehr
- Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
- The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
- Be True to Yourself: A Daily Guide for Teenage Girls by Amanda Ford & Shannon Berning
- Blue Jean: What Young Women Are Thinking, Saying, and Doing by Sherry S. Handel
- Life Lists for Teens by Pamela Espeland
- Meeting at the Crossroads by Carol Gilligan & Lyn Mikel Brown
- Perfectionism: What's Bad About Being Too Good? by Miriam, Ph.D. Elliott, et al.
- Real Girl Real World: Tools for Finding Your True Self by Heather M. Gray, et al.
<< Previous: My Friend's Ditching Me | Next:MySpace Worries >>
Boundaries, Self-Defense
How To Say No (Audio)
Yelling with power when you’re feeling threatened by someone isn’t about screaming or raising the pitch of your voice like a desperate victim in a horror movie. Listen to these audio clips to learn how to say NO! with power.
Have you ever heard the way that military officers speak during drills (in real life or in the movies)? Your goal is to yell “NO!” with that kind of power but with a little less “bark.” Think of it like singing opera or cheerleading: You need to yell from your diaphragm—your gut—not from the top of your throat, so you sound forceful and commanding.
To practice, yell “NO!” seriously, loudly, and with conviction. Do it as loud and strong as you can, until you scare yourself or someone in the other room with your assertiveness. (Just warn your family ahead of time that you’re practicing and not being attacked for real.) Here are some examples of what a strong “No!” sounds like, as well as some other important boundaries:
If the person persists, yell to alert other people to the situation:
Audio performed by Andrea Vander Pluym, teen self-defense instructor and co-author of RESPECT. Illustration by Catherine LePage © Free Spirit Publishing Inc. 2005.
email this entry to a friend
<< Previous: My Friend's Ditching Me | Next:MySpace Worries >>







Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)