Love Is Not Abuse Coalition: A Look Back

For too many teens, relationships turn toxic because no one taught them the difference between love and abuse.

That’s where the Love Is Not Abuse coalition stepped in to change how we teach teens about healthy relationships.

Table of Contents

What Was the Love Is Not Abuse Coalition?

Back in the early ’90s, Liz Claiborne Inc. (you might know them now as Kate Spade & Company) kicked off the Love Is Not Abuse coalition, or LINA for short, to tackle a problem nobody really wanted to talk about — teen dating violence.

Their mission was simple: giving adults the resources to be strong allies for teens and young adults, showing them what a healthy relationship looks like — and how to spot the red flags when things aren’t so great.

What made LINA really cool was how inclusive it was. You didn’t need fancy credentials or a special job title to get involved. It didn’t matter if you were a worried parent, a teacher who noticed something off with their students, or just someone who wanted to help; you could be part of it.

They basically said, “If you care about keeping kids safe, you’re in.”

Things really picked up in the late 2000s when LINA teamed up with advocacy groups like the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Break the Cycle. Together, they created real, practical resources to help teens dealing with abuse and the communities supporting them.

Eventually, LINA transitioned from a marketing campaign run by Liz Claiborne Inc. (later Fifth & Pacific Companies, and now Kate Spade & Company) to a program fully managed by Break the Cycle.

Though LINA isn’t an active campaign anymore, its legacy is alive and well. The work it did still influences the fight against teen dating abuse and domestic violence today.

In 2016, Break the Cycle formed Let’s Be Real — a movement for young people to share their relationship experiences. While the movement is no longer active, you can still check the Let’s Be Real page for helpful resources.

Curriculum Overview

The Love Is Not Abuse (LINA) curriculum was a teaching guide used to help teens understand dating abuse and learn about healthy relationships. It wasn’t your typical lecture-and-notes setup; they used books and stories to get teens thinking about relationships.

Their curriculum had five main goals, and honestly, they nailed exactly what teens need to know:

Helping students understand teen dating abuse: The curriculum taught teens the signs of unhealthy relationships so they could spot them in their own lives or their friends’ lives.

Enabling students to support friends in abusive relationships: It’s not always easy to know what to do when a friend is in trouble. The curriculum gave teens the tools to reach out, listen, and support their friends who might be in abusive situations.

Encouraging students to seek help if they’re in an abusive relationship: Sometimes, the hardest part is asking for help. The curriculum aimed to make teens feel comfortable seeking help if they needed it, whether that was from a trusted adult, a counselor, or a hotline.

Promoting healthier relationships: The curriculum taught teens what healthy relationships look like. It talked about respect, communication, and boundaries, helping teens build better relationships with their partners and friends.

Enhancing critical thinking skills: The curriculum used stories and text to help teens think critically about relationships. It encouraged them to ask questions, analyze situations, and apply what they learned to their own lives.

What happened to the coalition?

By 2012, Liz Claiborne Inc. had rebranded as Fifth & Pacific Companies and decided to focus its energy on its big-money brands, like Kate Spade. This meant stepping away from projects like LINA, which, while important, didn’t align with the company’s main business goals.^[1]

Instead of letting the campaign fade away, they passed the torch to Break the Cycle, a nonprofit that was already doing incredible work in relationship violence prevention. This move made sure the resources and message of LINA could continue helping people in a way that made sense.

As Break the Cycle grew and changed, the LINA coalition started to take a back seat. The focus shifted to tackling relationship violence on a larger scale, which made sense as the advocacy world kept evolving.

Around this time, new campaigns like #MeToo and One Love Foundation stepped up. These groups built on what LINA had started, using social media and other modern tools to reach younger audiences and raise awareness in fresh ways.

While LINA’s name might not be as visible today, its influence is still part of the fight against teen dating violence.

Why Projects Like Love Is Not Abuse Are Important

When you’re young and figuring out relationships for the first time, it’s super easy to miss the warning signs of abuse.

Why? Because no one’s really teaching teens what healthy relationships look like.

Teens are bombarded with mixed messages everywhere they turn. Movies show jealousy as romantic. Social media makes controlling behavior look like “true love.” Their friends might say stuff like, “They’re only mean because they really like you.” Even worse, some teens might see unhealthy relationships at home and think that’s just how love works.

Plus, there’s consistent pressure to be in a relationship. When everyone’s coupling up and posting their #relationshipgoals, it’s tempting to put up with bad behavior just to not be single.

And if you’ve never been in a relationship before, how are you supposed to know what’s normal and what’s not? While this isn’t a question for only “certain types” of people, some teens are more vulnerable than their peers.

Teen Dating Abuse Does Not Discriminate

A destructive storm can hit any neighborhood — rich or poor, city or suburbs, any school, any community. Likewise, dating abuse affects teens from every background — no matter their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

A 2019 study among U.S. high school students (who reported dating during the 12 months before the study) found that about 1 in 12 students have experienced both physical and sexual dating violence.^[2]

Further studies also show that some teens are more at risk than others. Girls face higher rates of physical and sexual dating violence than boys. Students who identify as LGBTQ or are unsure about their gender identity experience more physical and sexual dating violence than those who identify as cis and straight.^[2][3][4]

LINA understood this and worked to reach teens from all walks of life. They knew that everyone deserves to be in a healthy, safe relationship and that education and awareness are key to making that happen.

To really understand the impact of teen dating abuse, here are some eye-opening statistics that reveal just how widespread the problem is:

Explore Additional Resources

While LINA may no longer be around, its mission to help young people build healthy relationships lives on. Whether you’re dealing with dating drama right now or just want to be prepared, we’ve got your back. Here’s a collection of resources that can help:

Other Resources

If you’re ready to dive into the dating pool, check out our resources for getting into a relationship. Because your first relationship should be about butterflies, not red flags.

Already coupled up? Our guides to being in a relationship guide break down everything from how to decode mixed signals to signs things are getting serious.

Sometimes relationships just don’t work out, and that’s okay. Our ending a relationship page has everything you need to help you figure out when it’s time to call it quits, how to break up respectfully, and most importantly, how to heal and move forward.

Parents, we haven’t forgotten about you. To navigate those awkward but necessary conversations about dating with your teens, check out our parenting and relationships guides. Learn how to spot warning signs and keep communication lines open when your kids start dating.If you’re worried that you or someone you know might be in an abusive relationship, our relationship abuse resource guide has everything you need to know about getting help.

References

1. United States Securities and Exchange Commission. (2012). Annual report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Commission File Number 1-10689). Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/352363/000104746913001406/a2213068z10-k.htm

2. Basile, K. C. (2020). Interpersonal violence victimization among high school students—youth risk behavior survey, United States, 2019. MMWR Supplements, 69.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a4

3. Walls, N. E., Atteberry-Ash, B., Kattari, S. K., Peitzmeier, S., Kattari, L., & Langenderfer-Magruder, L. (2019). Gender identity, sexual orientation, mental health, and bullying as predictors of partner violence in a representative sample of youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(1), 86–92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.08.011

4. Dank, M., Lachman, P., Zweig, J. M., & Yahner, J. (2014). Dating violence experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence,43, 846–857 (2014).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9975-8

Author

Edwin Maina

Edwin Maina is a storyteller at heart, with a background in broadcast journalism and advertising. When he's not crafting compelling narratives about love and relationships, you'll find him tending to his flock of Saanen goats and Dorper sheep—because if there's one thing he knows, it's that both animals and humans thrive on care and connection. As a youth mentor at his local church, Edwin also draws on his diverse experiences to offer wisdom on navigating life's challenges, including the ever-intriguing world of dating.
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Teaching Love, Fighting Abuse: A Look Back at the Love Is Not Abuse Coalition