Fashion as Protection

It is no secret that women must look over their shoulder more often than men, especially while being alone out of fear of being attacked. Though it is not a good thing that society has come to this, it is time to create solutions for this problem. Whether we admit it or not, there will always be bad apples among us which leads some to think in a more cautious way.

Instead of feeling like victims, Ruth and Yuval created AR Wear. The clothing line offers pieces that have items resistant to scissors or any type of force and make women feel like they are in control of what happens to their bodies while they are out. Undergarments could be worn comfortably under clothes and have adjustments on leg and waist bands to fit the woman that wears it. The creators themselves understand that this will not solve the issue of assault, but it raises awareness. They are seeking funding on indiegogo.com and have already reached their goals but are still accepting donations.

The idea is fantastic because it gives women a small way to fight transgressors. It gives women a harmless, yet powerful weapon that can turn us into protectors instead of cowering behind our weaknesses. These sort of advances gives us a chance to be able to walk freely again and regain the freedom that had been robbed from women.

Even though fighting assault should be expected, there will always be people who oppose this behavior because women are the ones that provoke men with their clothing, or so some think. It seems like an absurd thought but there is a significant amount of people who voice this opinion. What if a young woman was wearing pants and a t-shirt? Does the end justify the means? What AR Wear is doing is basically giving the situation a taste of its own medicine. It will still allow women to wear whatever they please without feeling that they are stirring trouble. Of course, it is not guaranteed to stop assault but essentially it is just a step into stopping something terrible from happening.

The truth is that sadly there will be no clear answer to stopping assault. Some may say teaching men not to rape ahead of time will help, which may be true to some extent. However, society has been taking these terrible situations and seeing them as a common situation. They may know it is bad but many have become jaded to the topic.

Women have already used objects as pepper spray, yet so many still go without any form of protection. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing that women are taking matters into their own hands and have become innovated to create things that will benefit so many. Not doing anything and simply voicing disagreement will not change anything, even if we have a solid argument. Actions that can lead the way to other solutions. Even if AR Wear will not completely abolish assault cases, it at least seeks to prevent and help the cause instead of just sitting back and letting it happen.