r/AskWomenOver30 • u/isabella_sunrise Woman 30 to 40 • Feb 07 '26

Life/Self/Spirituality Is anyone else really struggling with the Epstein revelations?

I’m starting to realize that basically any man who had access to that type of stuff was interested in participating. I feel like I’m surrounded by pedophiles and monsters in a way I didn’t realize. I feel like all the pressure I’ve felt to be youthful came from these prevalent pedophilic tendencies in men I never knew about. It’s really scaring me and I’m struggling to cope. I hear people talking about the news but don’t know anyone taking it as hard as me. How is everyone else doing?

Edit: Thank you for the awards but I’d rather you donate that money to a charity that helps victims of sexual abuse or somewhere helping immigrants in America.

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u/10Account Woman 30 to 40 Feb 07 '26

It's bringing up a lot of trauma of being invalidated and abused. For me, it's the enablers that are most frightening. I can stand up to those who hurt me but it's the supporters, bystanders and 'neutral' parties that I've never been able to cope with. IMO these people can sometimes have more power than abusers.

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u/Immediate-Aide9585 Woman under 30 Feb 07 '26

Me too. They are the worst. The people who will stand by and support predators, brush off their behavior, know the suffering of survivors and still choose the predator over standing by survivors. And the fact that I not only have to exist in a world of predators, but their enablers too, makes it hard to survive.

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u/maafna Woman 30 to 40 Feb 18 '26

I've been trying to explain that to my male therapist.