Oct 314 min read

Women's Self Defense Tips From Netflix's 'Woman Of The Hour' By Anna Kendrick

A good true crime movie combines two of my favorite things: a reason to spend quality 'down time' with my husband, and an opportunity to learn about the patterns and strategies of criminals.

Woman of the Hour, Anna Kendricks directional debut, is the latest #1 movie on Netflix, telling the true story of a struggling actress who narrowly evades being victimized by a prolific serial killer. What I’ve found is that no matter the story, the same criminal patterns emerge. Here are my top 5 self-defense lessons from the movie!

Don’t be fooled by the “Model Trick’

The killer, Rodney, used a strategy called the Model Trick to lure vulnerable women to the desert. The model trick looks like this:

"Wow, you are so beautiful (and possibly misunderstood)... Have you ever wanted to be in a [movie, music video, modeling shoot, etc.]?

It's a common strategy that preys on insecure kids and women, especially runaway teens who have one of the highest risk demographics for human trafficking. How can we recognize the model trick? First, recognize when YOU appear vulnerable to others. The killer targeted a homeless woman and a woman who had recently been dumped by her boyfriend after finding out she was pregnant. But vulnerability can also look like:

a child who's sad about being bullied
a woman crying on the street corner
a teenager who's been drinking and just got in a fight with her boyfriend

Anything that a manipulator can identify as an opening, a weakness, a void they can swoop in to fill. If someone finds you at a vulnerable moment, it's OK to err on the side of caution. Be aware of the situation, keep your distance from them, and don't be afraid to assert your boundaries if they try to pressure you into accepting their 'help'.

Be Aware Of Adults Who Pay Too Much Attention to 'Troubled Youth'

This one is to help you recognize red flags of potential abusers in your social circles. As I mentioned above, abusers look for vulnerable targets. If you notice that an adult seems to be overly interested in consoling or spending time (especially alone time) with troubled youth, there might be cause to pay more attention. It's not always from a place of care– these are the exact people and situations that abusers look to take advantage of.

Never Go To An Isolated Place With Someone You Don't Know– Public Places Only

I understand the desire to be adventurous, fun, and spontaneous... but if your tinder date was trying to kill you... isn't taking you to the dessert exactly what he would do? When it comes to men you don't know, stay in public places. Having other people around is your greatest safety net. They're like your unpaid, unknowing security guards.

A predators confidence grows or shrinks according to how many people are around.

Part of what I teach my students at Girls Who Fight is to become a non-target. There's a few key elements to this, a big one is destroying the opportunities an attacker would look for. Predators need an opportunity. There's no attack without one. What you want to do is look at your choices through the lens of a predator and identify situations that could be seen as an opportunity to them. This will help you decide what you should be avoiding or saying no to.

Trust Your Gut Instinct!

On two dates with different men, you can see the protagonist's gut feeling at work. She wants to say NO and go home, but in both situations she stuffs her intuition deep down and tries to be nice to the guy instead. To 'let him down easy'. You can see the deep need for people pleasing at play.

Ladies, the ability to say no to things (and people) you don't want is as fundamental as self defense gets.

When you don't want the drink, say no. When you want to go home, leave. When you don't feel safe, get help! Even if this means calling a friend, 911, offending someone or making things awkward. Your safety is so much more important than being liked.

As Soon As You Feel Threatened, Get Away and Scream!

Rodney follows her as she walks in fear, struggling to get the key in the car door. He would have attacked– if it wasn't for the people who happened to walk into the parking lot.

Don't second guess yourself. Don't try to politely walk faster.. GET OUT OF THERE! Don't be afraid to run as fast as you can or scream at the top of your lungs. Don't worry how you look or if you're wrong, there's literally no time for that. What you need to do is act to get as far away as possible and draw attention.

Ladies, the last thing predators want you to do is make a scene. That's why in so many movies the killers first words are "don't scream!" The reason they don't want you to scream is because it's the fastest way to draw attention and get them spotted.

This is why at Girls Who Fight, we train using our voice for a range of situations from saying no, setting the first boundary, and escalating to level 10,000 when that boundary isn't respected. Your voice is possibly your most powerful, feared, destructive weapon to a predator. Please practice using it!