Brave Miss World

Whenever people ask me who my biggest role model is, I say my mom or dad because that is the easy answer (and it's very true.) However, after September 16th, 2014 I truly knew who my biggest inspiration was. A few weeks ago I attended a Jewish United Fund event, in which Linor Abargil spoke. Linor was a regular woman who lived in Israel. When she was 18 she became a model because of her striking beauty and charm. This job required her to travel outside of Israel. One day her travel agent convinced her that the only way to get back home from Milan was to drive, so he insisted on driving her. In the middle of their trip back home he drove the car to a secluded area, stabbed Linor, threatened to kill her, and raped her. Linor "promised not to tell anyone" and she made her way back home as quickly as possible. Linor's life was forever changed and she was forever scarred. Two weeks later Linor won the beauty pageant and was crowned "Miss World" in 1998. Today Linor is an outspoken advocate against sexual violence. Now she travels around the world telling her story and helping others. This event was very powerful and informative for me, especially as a woman. She talked about the fact that no matter how provocative a women's outfit is, that never gives a man the right to touch a woman without consent-- for all she cares a woman can walk around the streets naked and no one can touch her. Linor exemplified strength and conviction as a woman in a society where men are perceived to be superior, and women inferior. Linor is now married and has children- she created a happy and joyous life for herself despite what happened to her. Linor studied law, mostly because after what she went through she became more interested (maybe even obligated)  in the legal side of her story and how the court case worked. She stands for justice in this world, and so do I- she would settle for nothing less than what was a fair punishment for the man who raped her. Instead of hiding after what happened to Linor, she became this poised and genuine woman, who I want to emulate. She went through something horrible of course, but she does not let that define her. People all over the world have felt comfortable sharing their personal stories with her and admitting that they have been sexually abused to her for the first time. Linor has changed thousands of people's lives by speaking out for sure, but also simply by listening. Her talk made me want to be an advocate for women who are told to never speak up about their experiences or who are too afraid. At the end of her talk, I was able to meet Linor, which I did not expect. This was an experience that was way more meaningful to me than meeting any type of "celebrity." When I hugged Linor tears came bursting down my face and I was literally speechless. I thanked her, but that is about all I could say because I was so moved and grateful. We need more people like Linor in this world.