CNN has a video report on a women who sells the T-Shirt "I Was Raped." From the report, the T-Shirt is true in the literal sense and the woman in question hopes to sell shirts to raise awareness for the issue so other women will speak out. You can read more about the cause here.
The article also discusses whether or not this message is appropriate. One objector states that the person should not show their victimage, which of all possible refutations, this is terribly weak and not convincing, as it just sounds as if the person does not want to hear about any really bad news that occurs around her.
I can see this may be a controversy in a school setting as it may be so controversial that it disrupts the education process; however, I would still allow the student to wear it though most school administrators would choose to ban it, especially after Morse v. Frederick, aka "Bong Hits for Jesus." Yet, this controversy has not spread to a school.
Also, I think that, from the video, the analogy to the other banned T-Shirts, such as when the Seattle Mariners banned the "Yankees Suck" shirt, does not hold up because of the public/ private setting of the event.
Finally, there may be some concern that the meaning of the message loses its power if it is worn on a T-Shirt, i.e. The Chicken Little Argument. But I am unconvinced about this as well as every argument may lose some luster after it is used.
3 comments:
I really admire any woman who would put herself out there so far as to wear the shirt and tell the world about her private trauma. In terms of raising awareness, even the controversy the shirt is causing seems to be doing the trick. A CNN link for 24 hours puts the reality of sexual violence in people's heads again, if only temporarily.
I also have to say that Baumgardner's reasons for wearing the shirt are powerful and provocative. Given what she has said about her own experiences and her decision to make and wear the shirt, I don't think the victim argument is valid. I would argue that there is a difference between being victimized and being a victim. It seems to me that by publicly acknowledging her rape she is reclaiming control over her body, a control that was forcefully taken from her. And she is absolutely right that this is a crime that needs to go public; that is, perhaps, one of the only ways to make victims of rape feel empowered in private.
Here are her reasons, which are in the article that Solon linked in the original post:
Why wear a shirt that says “I Was Raped”?
* Because wearing it lets others know that they aren’t alone.
* Because wearing it invites conversation about a silenced experience that so many women and men share.
* Because rape is a crime that someone did to you, against your will.
* Because, as Maya Angelou says, “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.”
* Because you shouldn’t be ashamed that you were raped; the perpetrator should be ashamed.
* Because being public shatters the very silence that enables rape to be so common.
* Because naming what has happened is the first step toward changing the reality of rape.
* Because legal redress is rarely served, so it’s crucial to find our own justice and acknowledgment.
~ Jennifer Baumgardner, “I Was Raped” project, 2008
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