Company Brings Back the "Chastity Belt" to Ward Off Potential Rapists

Rape is about as wrong as it gets.

That's the opening line of a pitch from a company called AR Wear that's trying to get people to invest in their line of modern-day chastity belts.

But wait! There's more!

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. Only by raising awareness and education, as well as bringing rapists to justice, can we all hope to eventually accomplish the goal of eliminating rape as a threat to both women and men. Meanwhile, as long as sexual predators continue to populate our world, AR Wear would like to provide products to women and girls that will offer better protection against some attempted rapes while the work of changing society's rape culture moves forward.

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Their interim solution?

. . . An item of clothing that creates an effective barrier layer [allowing] women and girls to passively resist an attacker, in addition to any other form of resistance they may be able to carry out at the time of an assault.

They've created a pair of steel-like boy-short panties that are designed to be "worn comfortably while still being able to frustrate an assault effectively."

When is it that a woman is supposed to don AR Wear, exactly? On a day when she suspects she might be in danger of being raped - and for some reason she is absolutely and utterly unable or physically incapably of staying home or reporting her fears to a family member, friend therapist or the authorities? Actually, according to the pitch, yes.

We wanted 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', traveling in unfamiliar countries, and any other activity that might make one anxious about the possibility of an assault.

AR Wear is really a wonder product - amazingly resistant to things like "pulling tearing and cutting" while at the same time "emergency room personnel or EMT's could immediately cut away the sections of the garments that are not cut-resistant in order to reach and treat wounds." How does AR Wear know the difference between a rapist and an EMT, you ask? That's actually unclear, but perhaps AR Wear provides rescue personnel with a password, pixie dust or super powers. However, what happens if a rapist is also employed as an EMT is unclear.

Chastity belts have been around since at least the Crusades but have fallen out of vogue in more modern times because it just didn't seem sanitary or humane to force women to stay chaste. And, you know, it's a little un-PC to place the responsibility of preventing rape on the potential victim.

But instead of pouring their efforts into dispelling the notion that women can prevent rape by dressing appropriately (in this case, in their product), AR Wear is astonishingly nearly at their goal of raising $50,000 in order to see their line come to fruition.

AR Wear's tagline, by the way? "A clothing line offering wearable protection for when things go wrong."

Sadly, it's doubtful that AR Wear realizes that it is what has gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

- By Meredith Carroll
For 25 vintage ads that scream SEXISM, visit Babble!

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