Grace Phipps Speaks Out About Domestic Abuse

Grace Phipps might not be considered a household name quite yet, but that isn’t stopping her from using her voice to speak out about an issue that’s important to her, and also directly affects her every day.

The 24 year old actress has starred in a number of television shows during her career, including Supernatural, Austin and Ally, The Vampire Diaries, and Scream Queens, but a big part of her fanbase came about after her supporting role in Disney Channel’s Teen Beach Movie and Teen Beach Movie 2.

And as many people know, being a Disney star often comes with a number of responsibilities, the biggest one being acting as a role model for young girls. This makes Grace’s latest Instagram post all the more important, necessary, and inspiring.

View this post on Instagram

Yesterday I received a text message from a man dated last summer who was much older than me who ended up being violent with me. He asked me a simple question that made me realize the full extend with which he looked at me as nothing more than meat. This feeling, this sense of seeing myself from the outside, and the idea of treating another person with that little human compassion made me vomit so violently that I burst a blood vessel in my eye. I wore contacts that looked like this to play dead in a movie once. I'd like to think that he couldn't have that power over me. That no one does. I didn't want to put this online at first, but then I realized that that would mean hiding for maybe three weeks till it heals. I have a meeting with me New York agents I don't know yet this week. I was supposed to take headshots. I missed my dear friends goodbye party because I was too ill. I didn't want to let that story get told, but I didn't want to have to hide too.

A post shared by Gracie Gillam (@graciegillam) on Jul 31, 2016 at 6:47pm PDT

Grace’s wise words come during a day and age when women are mistreated by men every day, and all too often, we see women who speak out about the issue of domestic abuse shamed, ridiculed, or insulted for their bravery. Many times, they’re accused of lying, fabricating the story, being over-dramatic, or doing something to anger a man so much, that his actions are deemed reasonable. The fact that she had the courage to speak out, knowing what the consequences might be, is a testament to her strength.

Grace has received an outpouring of love and support on Instagram and Twitter since her post, and the well wishes continue to come. Hopefully, her actions will encourage others to speak out about their experiences, or reach out for help if they’re currently in a situation like hers.

Every one of us here at CelebMix are inspired and touched by Grace’s strength, and we encourage those who feel they might be involved in an unhealthy relationship to find the help they need.