Rape, a Fashion Statement?

“It’s not rape it’s a snuggle with a struggle.” No, your eyes are not deceiving you, you read correctly. Those were the words printed on a t-shirt in the Philippines. Can you believe it? Someone thought it was a good idea to put this on a t-shirt and actually SELL it IN STORES! I was outraged when I read the article about this! How is this a fashion statement? When did rape become a glamorized act? When did rape become something cute and romantic? What messages are they trying to portray? How is this legal? I could go on and on. This is not funny or acceptable! Fortunately this shirt has been pulled off the shelves but it just makes me wonder how many people actually bought this thinking it was ok.

In the bible we learn that our bodies are not our own but in fact they belong to God and we should live lives that are pleasing to God. That does not mean that our bodies should be taken advantage of neither does it mean that we should dress in ways that are not pleasing to God. Clothes have always been a major issue with many girls! If you are a girl, I guarantee you have had an issue with either fitting in clothes, trying to figure out what to wear or not having enough clothes. Don’t worry you are not alone. However, just because something is on sale does not mean you have to buy it. For instance, if this “It’s not rape it’s a snuggle with a struggle” shirt were on sale for $1.00 you should not buy it. I wish we, as young women, would be more mindful to the words that are on our shirts. Not only are some of the messages negative, but they are inappropriate and they make you look bad. You could be the sweetest girl in the world but wearing a shirt that says, “I drink you’re cute” sends off a bad message, especially if you’re not old enough to drink.

I’m not going to lie, some of the shirts are cute (for example, the style/cut of a shirt) BUT the message is not! When I was in college a friend of mine bought me a shirt that said, “VIRGIN” and below that read, “You ain’t getting any.” It was a plain t-shirt but the wording was inappropriate. Why tell the world my business? I wore it once and after that I decided to never wear it again. I got looks and stares. I even had boys come up to me and ask, “Seriously, you are?” Several times I looked at them confused because I had no idea what they were talking about, then they would point to my shirt. SMH! I’m sharing my story because the things you wear draws attention to you and you don’t even realize it. Just because my shirt was free did not mean I had to wear it. I hope you would learn from me and choose to not wear what seems fashionable, cute or funny, because the truth of the matter is it's not. Be smart! Create your own style! Wear YOUR confidence, not foolish "fashion"!

*Don’t forget your confidence

What do you feel about this? Has fashion gone to far? As I was browsing the Internet I found a few items of clothing that were just disturbing and inappropriate, especially for young girls. Though these messages may seem harmless they are making us girls seem like we are worthless and we are only good for drinking and looking cute.

---