This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** “This is called physical abuse,” Dakota Mortensen says in leaked cellphone footage as his then-girlfriend, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul, can be seen swinging her fists at his head, pulling his hair, and squeezing her arms around his neck. Appearing to be half Mortensen’s size and barely able to land a punch, Paul almost reads like a harmless hot girl throwing a tantrum.  That is, until she manages to lob a metal bar stool across the room at Mortensen and it reportedly strikes her 5-year-old daughter, Indy. Screaming “Mommy!” Indy breaks into tears as the camera goes black and the sound keeps rolling. “Your daughter just got hit in the head with a metal chair … Help your daughter, Taylor,” Mortensen says, asking Indy if she’s okay. “Get away from my daughter,” Paul screams at the top of her lungs. When Mortensen tries to calm her down, she yells, “Shut the f*ck up!” The doorbell rings, and law enforcement enters the home.  It’s horrifying to watch. But it also illustrates why domestic abuse perpetrated by women toward men goes largely underreported: If little Indy hadn’t been caught in the crossfire, would Mortensen have called the cops on behalf of his own safety? And would anyone have believed he, a man, was a victim of assault?  Considering his abuser, barely five-foot-six mom of three, Taylor Frankie Paul, who rose to fame by launching the girl power MomTok trend, drumming up ratings as one of Hulu’s fan-favorite “Mormon Wives,” and raking in profitable collabs with high-profile family-friendly brands, the answer is probably not.  Somehow, with all the baggage, Paul passed ABC’s background check to become “The Bachelorette” for season 22 before it was canned. Guys, are we really that short on eligible ladies who haven’t previously pled guilty to aggravated assault? Imagine if ABC threw 30 eligible ladies into a home with a known domestic abuser, unlimited booze, and a Fantasy Suite for the next season of “The Bachelor.”   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Justice Department in 2010 funded a survey suggesting that men, not women, were most often the victims of “intimate partner physical violence” over the course of a year. It disrupted earlier stats from the National Violence Against Women Survey, which showed roughly 22% women reporting themselves as victims of domestic abuse and 7% of men claiming the same. Current statistics regularly point to women being the majority of reported victims of domestic violence. So was that one study just a fluke? Are men really the violent monsters they’re made out to be? It turns out, men are much less likely to speak up.  The lines between self-defense and abuse often become blurry when it comes to obviously larger and stronger men fending off female abusers. And many times, religion can serve as a barrier to men ultimately walking away from an emotionally abusive scenario at home. As in reports from victimized women, a commitment to a family’s children can take priority over self-preservation.  For all the talk about advocating for victims, men are more likely to assume they won’t be believed. Even medical and mental health professionals have been known to treat men with more skepticism than women when handling instances of abuse. “Seeking formal help frequently led to secondary victimization in the form of statements or behavior that could cause them further distress,” trial attorney Wendy L. Patrick noted of a study on men who self-reported. “In fact, seeking formal help itself had a negative impact on well-being, aggravating their victimization.” On top of that, these men may carry residual shame from asking for help for the rest of their lives. With instances of domestic violence on the rise in the U.S., it’s hard to ignore a systemic breakdown we all play some part in trying to heal.  Taylor Frankie Paul’s kitchen stool attack led to her arrest back in 2023. Not previously available to the public, the footage leaked this week amid allegations of yet another domestic violence incident between the reality star and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, with whom she now shares a son. “As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation,” Mortensen said. He responded to claims from Paul that she was the victim in their relationship: “I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same.” Filming for “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” season five came to a halt, and Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” was canceled along with her Cinnabon collab. But you can still catch Paul bopping around TikTok to Lady Gaga lyrics, acting like she’s “kinda busy” as her off-camera life remains an open investigation. The 22 men who will no longer appear on “The Bachelorette” dodged a bullet — and possibly a chair. *** The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.