One New York company is hoping to combat sexual assault in a very specific way -- by developing "AR Wear," a line of undergarments that are difficult to remove forcefully from a woman's body. The clothing items, which look a lot like Lululemon tiny workout shorts, use cut-resistant straps and webbing to prevent an outsider from ripping them off.
The garments are being crowd-funded through IndieGogo and are causing quite a bit of controversy. Though the company explicitly states that "the only one responsible for a rape is the rapist and AR Wear will not solve the fundamental problem that rape exists in our world," they go on to say that the products were developed "so that women and girls could have more power to control the outcome of a sexual assault."
Despite the fact that the AR founders seem to have good intentions, their mission to "offer some peace of mind in situations that cause feelings of apprehension, such as going out on a blind date, taking an evening run, 'clubbing,' and traveling in unfamiliar countries," seriously misses the mark. Slate's Amanda Hess calls the undergarments "elegant chastity belts" and points out (sarcastically) that "nothing makes a woman feel comfortable in her own body like a constant physical reminder that she's expected to guard her genitals against potential sexual assaults at all times."
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