Remember Justin Bieber ex-girlfriend from back in the day, Jasmine Villegas? She starred in his infamous "Baby" music video, and dating rumors instantly swirled. Now, the singer's speaking out about another relationship she was in...an abusive one shortly after her split from JB.
Jasmine is 20-years-old now, and has experienced something that some of us haven't...we aren't talking about dating Bieber, either. In 2012, when she was 17, Jasmine was dating an abusive guy, and now she's speaking out to teens about relationship violence.
Trying to spread awareness, Jasmine decided to portray her own attack in a music video for her single, "Didn't Mean It". It reenacts in graphic detail an assault she had on her by the abusive guy.
Like so many others, Jasmine initially kept the abuse to herself, concealing the violence from friends and family until she couldn't hide the bruises and swollen lips any longer. The final straw came when the abusive ex threw a table at her, shattering a window and alerting a passerby outside.
"What I went through is something nobody deserves to go through," the singer told Mic. "I made a decision to make a positive from a negative and give people an outlet and a voice to get out of it. I know how hard it can be and how alone you can feel when you're in that situation."
At the end of "Didn't Mean It", Jasmine posted the number of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and calls increased by 54% the day of the video's premiere. You can watch that below.
Domestic violence isn't the only issue Jasmine's fighting against. Because she was involved with Justin, she's been handed a lot of online hate and cyberbullying, too.
"Being on tour with Justin and being in his 'Baby' video definitely helped me gain fans, and I am forever grateful for it," she added. "[But] the cyberbullying was definitely tough ... At first, the harsh comments would bother me, but you have a choice whether to look at it or not. You can't please everyone and the sooner you learn that, the less you'll feel hurt by comments from people that don't know you."
We give Jasmine mad props for speaking out about such tough issues. Check out her music video below, and don't forget, if you're in the same situation, there's always help!
via Source
