What The Company Marketing ‘Anti-Rape Underwear’ Gets Wrong About Rape

[BainsBane]

Worried about being raped? Get new underwear.

A company named AR Wear is making waves by marketing “a clothing line offering wearable protection for when things go wrong.” The line includes several different types of underwear and shorts that are intended to be difficult for a sexual predator to remove, and the founders explain that could help women feel safer when they’re “going out on a blind date, taking an evening run, ‘clubbing,’ traveling in unfamiliar countries, and any other activity that might make one anxious about the possibility of an assault.” AR Wear has currently raised about half of its $50,000 fundraising goal on the crowdfunding site IndieGoGo. . . .


Nonetheless, their effort has been widely criticized, derided as a new type of chastity belt for the “modern rape victim.” That’s not because people are opposed to preventing rape, of course — it’s because AR Wear seems to be missing a few crucial points about the reality of sexual assault. Here’s what the campaign gets wrong:

1. Rape isn’t an accident.
From the onset, the tagline of AR Wear’s campaign signals that this isn’t exactly the right framing for effectively tackling sexual assault. Marketing anti-rape underwear “for when things go wrong” suggests that sexual assault is an accident, or simply a night of partying gone sour. It subtly frames the incident in terms of the victim’s bad luck rather than in terms of the perpetrator’s decision to rape. In fact, sexual assault isn’t a slip-up; it’s a crime that a rapist has consciously committed. . . .

5. We already know about some very effective strategies to prevent rape; we’re just not implementing them.
Of course, this isn’t to say we’re all powerless in the face of the global sexual assault epidemic. There are very real ways to tackle rape culture. Sexual assault prevention advocates believe that it starts with comprehensive sex education, to help educate kids about how to recognize when someone is violating their consent. And when kids age, the education campaigns should continue. College activists are attempting to implement more bystander intervention programs to teach students how to get involved when they see something that might turn into a sexual assault. Strong criminal justice policies that make it easier for victims to report crimes, and that actually hold the perpetrators accountable for those crimes, are another important area ripe for policy change.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/05/2889411/anti-rape-underwear-sexual-assault/

[seabeyond]

1. yes. it does not really feel like it is about helping women out but capitalizing on rape.

that is my perspective.

found a market to make money.

[BainsBane]

2. It's a modern day chastity belt

Truly absurd. Also imagine what happens when you have to pee.

[BainsBane]

3. Another product women are told serves the same function

Only doesn't. Rape is one of the reasons the Saudi government sites for compelling women to veil.

[Tumbulu]

4. Sorry, I think it is a fine idea

to have a layer of protection so to speak, even if it is only psychological for the woman. I used to travel by myself to cities with a lot of violent crime and have to walk with luggage to hotels at night and I would have beeen really happy to have had something to wear that made me feel better and less vulnerable.

Sure this does not address the core of the problem, but anything that helps an individual woman be able to walk in a strange city or place with less fear is fine with me. No reason to fund the project or buy the product unless you think it would be helpful.

I know that only 25% of rapes are stranger attacks, but if something helped me out in such a situation, great.

A few years ago my neighbor high on some weird drug imagined that peole were sneaking up the road to "steal his stuff", so he was shooting a high powered rifle at these eimaginary people. Standing in front of my house no less. He tried to come into my yard. I have the weirdest gate latch. No one can open it, it used to drive me crazy. He tried for quite sometime and then gave up, never getting in and then going back to his house where the swat team of terrified police arrived a mere two hours later (my daughter and I waiting all that time lying on the floor for fear the bullets would go through the walls. You can bet that I will NEVER replace that wierd gate opener. No one can open it, I have to always go and let people in, which is just fine. If this underwear can protect someone from something similar, then good idea!

[BainsBane]

5. What makes you think a rapist couldn't tear those off

or cut them with a knife? Do you really think a violent predator is going to be deterred because it takes a bit of effort to remove a woman's panties?

[Tumbulu]

6. Well, my difficult to open gate

saved us from being shot, and if things causing delays can allow a person who is nutty to change course, I am all for it. (Plus they were designed to be unable to cut with a scissors.) And rape is a definitely crazed crime.

Of course it is just one thing, but it could help.

[ismnotwasm]

7. I think it's weird

Capitalizing on the world wide attention rape is receiving, and I suspect that the cost of this "rape prevention tool" is prohibitive for many women, so it's targeting a middle class demographic. I also notice the models are white.

I don't care what women do to feel safer--I carry a small razor, with a complete plan to use it and run, but this is damn near rape "fashion" Ick.