Domestic abuse and violence against intimate partners is not something any of us are unfamiliar with. However, in spite of sympathising, many people never go so far as to become as outraged as they should and instead try to find blame in the victims of this abuse.

This is exactly what is happening to Christy Mack – an actress who was severely beaten by her MMA fighter partner, Jonathan Koppenhaver. Christy is being doubly blamed for this because of her choice of career: the films she stars in are pornographic.

The response of blaming her attack and abuse on her lifestyle choice or her career is incredibly problematic for a number of reasons. The first is the most widely applicable to situations of domestic abuse: victims NEVER deserve to be abused, EVER. There is absolutely no reason to justify beating another human being (man or woman) especially to such a degree that they must be hospitalised to recover. Domestic violence is unjustifiable in EVERY situation and we should all be outraged and enraged when we hear of its occurrence.

The second reason this case of victim blaming is particularly problematic is because it ties into the idea that women who are not demure about their sexuality deserve to be abused and they ask for it by expressing their sexuality. Christy’s career choice has nothing to do with the fact that her partner broke 18 of her bones. Fact.

It is far easier for the general public to sit back and engage in victim blaming – both subtly and overtly – because it detaches the experience of  THAT OTHER woman from the general subordination that thousands of women experience globally, every day. It allows a person to adopt the mentality of it being someone else’s problem, something that will never affect you on a personal level. It is a great defence mechanism, until it happens to someone you love and respect, or to you.

You can find more of the ridiculous victim blaming responses to Christy’s courageous sharing of her story at The Daily Beast. Such ignorance and passivity can not be tolerated or encouraged.