Humans of Agriculture- Jenn's Story.
"The abuse is so slight in the beginning, you seriously think you're losing your mind.
First, I couldn't cook worth a damn. He'd walk in from work, and declare, "I'm not eating that shit."
Then, when there were money struggles, we couldn't tell anyone, but we still had to go out on weekends to make it look like everything was just dandy.
At some point, I became "too fat to look at."
Little girls were outrunning me at the barrel races, so "How do you like getting outrun by a nine-year-old?"
Isolation wasn't far behind all of the above. We didn't have time or money to go see family or friends. I felt like a literal caged animal with nowhere to go, no one to turn to.
Everything was suddenly my fault. If he was mad, I'd made him that way. If something broke, I did it on purpose. If we were out of money for the month, I'd spent too much. I could do NOTHING right."
Jenn is the woman behind your food, think of her when you enjoy a meal with beef.
Read the rest of Jenn's story on her blog, The South Dakota Cowgirl.
And be sure to follow her on Instagram as she takes part of the #MyStory initiative.
Linda D. Griffith
Not all women in agriculture meet the same issues of marriage and work. It all depends on the individual. Did you get a degree? You can work even with kids. I come from a dairy background. Sometimes my dad would get depressed over weather or price of milk or my mom's just complaining about having to wait for meals because dad was working or of all the neighbors who came over to visit. That is the country life...friendships, neighbors who care. If your husband is grumpy then build your own life. My mom was a brilliant woman wasted because she didn't know how to escape the woman's monotony.
dairycarrie
Linda, I think you've missed the point of this story. Her husband wasn't grumpy, he was abusive.
the south dakota cowgirl
Pretty sure you missed the point entirely. :/
Laura
Thank you for sharing your story. Your voice makes us all feel stronger and giveshope to someone who is struggling with how to get out.
The abuse you suffered is truly minute, systematic destruction of another person.
I hope your life is better now.