This t-shirt is about rape, and it’s something I can safely say I would never wear.
Bean asks, “Does it really let women own their experiences to wear a t-shirt?” Um, no. Considering t-shirts are good vehicles for funny pictures and trite truisms, the last thing I want up for commentary from random yokels on the street is their opinion on why I was raped or how I feel about it.
The only thing this idea does for me is confirm my belief that anymore Jennifer Baumgardner is more often off the mark than on it.
It’s not even the random yokel problem. I think it’s better for rape victims to think of rape as a terrible thing that happened to them, not an experience they need to own.
Hm. I think I’m the only person around who doesn’t find the shirt offensive. I see a couple things in it: first, the idea that having been raped isn’t something to be *ashamed* of, and therefore certainly not something women should feel they can’t “admit” (which I think is what she meant by the “own” comment); and second, the idea that rape is pretty common, but most people think that (1) they don’t know anyone who’s been raped; (2) it’s a pretty rare event.
So I saw the shirt as taking those two things in reverse order, and saying, as a feminist statement, one could wear this shirt to raise consciousness, and why the hell shouldn’t one–since having been raped isn’t something to be ashamed of.
Admittedly I was thinking of this more in a campus setting, where there’s an assumption that overt political speech on shirts is pretty common. Also admittedly, I’ve never been raped.
No sizing info on the order form, I noticed.
Who’d rape a fat woman, anyway?
I agree with the post, I would NEVER wear this shirt. And certainly not only because I have something against Jennifer Baumgardner. I don’t see how it could be empowering to anyone. If you really want to own your rape experience by wearing a shirt, maybe something that says, “I survived.”? Other than that, there have to be better ways to raise consciousness if that’s what the aim is…