By Whitney Crosby/reporter
One big mistake women make in relationships is making excuses for behavior that lacks respect, English professor and author Shewanda Riley told students March 24.
Riley’s workshop, Surviving Your Relationship Recession, was held on NE Campus.
Riley spoke on things such as “settling for less than what you want, deciding to be friends with someone after he treated you poorly, calling him repeatedly when he doesn’t call, ignoring how he treats other women in his life,” and much more.
The speaker asked audience members exactly how prone they are to being the “doormat” in relationships. Women who lose their own set of friends or spend too much time with a boyfriend are likely to be “doormats,” she said.
“What will you do when the relationship ends? Your friends aren’t going to want to talk about it then,” Riley said. “Many women start to believe that all men are dogs or abusive because of past relationships.”
However, she said women attract men of this character by what they wear or because they have low self-esteem. Men can sense a woman’s self-esteem and will treat them how they allow them to, and it all comes down to how women view themselves, Riley said.
The workshop also included tips on how to avoid these mistakes. She told the audience to remember the truth in the phrase, “actions speak louder than words.” Know what you want and stick to it, Riley said.
She suggested making a list of all the things women want out of a relationship.
“Remember you have the ultimate authority to say yes or no to a man, and never start doing anything you can’t continue doing for the duration of the relationship,” she said.
One student said she keeps a close eye on how men treat the women in his life.
“One thing I look for the most in a man is how he treats his mother, sisters and other friends that are girls, most of the time if he has no respect for them, he won’t have any respect for me either.” TCC student Jessica Hurley said.
