Respect isn’t what he says in public. It’s how he moves when no one is watching, and how he treats your truth, your boundaries, and your dignity. Here
Respect isn’t what he says in public. It’s how he moves when no one is watching, and how he treats your truth, your boundaries, and your dignity. Here are questions that cut through the noise:
Photo by Raquel García
1. Does he listen when you speak—really listen—or does he interrupt, dismiss, or talk over you?
Respect shows in the pause, in the willingness to let your words stand.
2. Does he honor your boundaries, even when it inconveniences him?
A man who respects you won’t argue with your “no” or punish you for setting limits.
3. Does he accept “no” without demanding an explanation?
If he makes you justify, defend, or explain why you said no, that is not respect. That is pressure disguised as conversation.
4. Does he celebrate your voice, or does he shrink you to fit his comfort?
If he insists you be smaller so he can feel taller, that is not respect.
5. Does he stand with you in public the same way he does in private?
Respect doesn’t vanish when the audience changes.
6. Does he make space for your growth, or does he resent it?
Respect delights in your becoming; it doesn’t compete with it.
7. Does he protect your dignity when others attack it?
The man who truly respects you doesn’t stay silent when your worth is being shredded.
8. Does he treat you as an equal partner, or does he see you as a role to fill?
Respect means seeing the whole woman—not a stereotype, not a convenience, not a cage.
9. Does he expect you to uphold his lies?
If you are asked to cover for him, distort reality, or betray your own integrity to maintain his image—that is not respect. That is control.
10. Does he expect you to override your own beliefs?
A man who demands you silence your conscience or abandon your values in service of his will does not honor your humanity.
🌹 A Note for Survivors
Unfortunately, Survivors are vulnerable to these dynamics because of past conditioning. When someone has manipulated you before—whether through gaslighting, intimidation, or love mixed with harm—your brain learns to adapt in order to survive. This is called coercive programming. It can leave you more open to believing that your boundaries don’t matter, that your “no” must come with an explanation, or that keeping the peace is safer than telling the truth.
That doesn’t mean you are weak. It means you were trained to survive.
But healing means slowly retraining your mind and spirit to recognize that you no longer have to bow to lies, override your beliefs-because those ARE important if to no one else but you,- or shrink yourself to fit inside someone else’s cage.
🔥 Closing Reminder
Respect isn’t complicated. If you have to beg for it, twist yourself for it, explain your “no,” uphold his lies, or abandon your own beliefs—he doesn’t respect you. And you deserve a life where dignity, truth, and self-definition are not negotiable.
Women and girls are human beings worthy of respect.