is waif
IS LORENA BOBBITT WAIF?




In 1989, shortly after Lorena Gallo first moved to the US from Ecuador, she married into the Bobbitt name. The marriage between Lorena and John Bobbitt began happy and loving, leading Lorena to believe she was on track to achieve her American Dream. Soon, John began abusing Lorena - mentally, physically and sexually. She confided in few, thinking the abuse
would soon stop due to John’s so-called love for her. For many years Lorena dealt with the trauma John caused her, even going as far as to force Lorena to get an abortion. John just wouldn’t stop. Her discomfort in the marriage was said to be noticeable by her neighbors. Keeping her head down, hands full of groceries, lugging to the door as John
lead her, empty handed. Soon, Lorena had enough, grabbed an 8-inch knife and just straight up chopped his third leg off.
Her act of revenge itself dominated American media for months on end. But, how did her actions change America for good? First of all, she validated and brought a sense of belonging to many victims of marital assault. Secondly, she became a household name synonymous with the act of chopping off an... important body part.
But how can waifiness be measured? Some may say anything is waif if it’s helping someone, or not harming anyone, though it would be hard to label Lorena with this theory.
Which is pretty sick (in a good way) like, who wouldn’t want to do that? Finally, each of the United States changed its marital rape laws because of the traction her story had. All of this points to a definite conclusion: Lorena Bobbitt is Waif.
But how can waifiness be measured? Some may say anything is waif if it’s helping someone, or not harming anyone, though it would be hard to label Lorena with this theory. However, it’d be easier if one follows the theory that someone is born with zero waifiness, gaining and losing ‘waifiness points’ throughout life to account for things such as legendary/trash behavior, violence/why it’s used, and your effect on others.
In the beginning, both Lorena Gallo and John Bobbitt would’ve been high on the Waif charts - making each other happy, living their best lives without harming anyone. Throughout the marriage, though, John’s acts of violence would’ve put him in the negatives. As for Lorena, she would’ve gained points from her heroic act of self-defense that changed America’s ideals on marital rape. She pushed through days of court meetings, inspiring many women to retaliate against their abusive partners. She was America’s not-so-sweetheart.
However, in 1997 Lorena Gallo was charged with assault after punching her mother in the face. According to police reports, she had been under a lot of pressure because of bills that needed to be paid and her mother was pestering her about it. Her mother had physically assaulted her first by pushing a door open as Lorena tried to close it, harming her daughter in the process. Even after all this, Lorena and her mother still love each other very much. This isolated incident has not changed their relationship.
The Bobbitt marriage started out great, and became something much bigger. John’s actions within the marriage are universally frowned upon, not Waif in the slightest. Lorena’s actions within the marriage were a beacon of hope to some and a heartbreaking story that led to change - very waif to say the least. But, even though she has done something amazing for the good of others (except John, that wasn’t an ideal moment in his life), a personal attack on someone else, with or without context, may change an outsider’s view of said person. In this particular case, physical harm is in two different contexts and must be viewed
that way.
Lorena Gallo and her mother had no prior history of domestic abuse; a night full of anger is not comparable to years and years of abuse and a woman’s efforts to retaliate. If it were, Lorena would no longer be Waif. If someone creates art that changed humanity and is outed as a serial rapist, they’d also end up right back at zero. Some don’t believe this; some don’t want to see their heroes fall. Fortunately, for those that look up to Lorena Gallo, they don’t have to.