This is what my pepper spray looks like. For the record, I didn’t buy it for myself, my parents got it for me. As I was walking out of Wal Mart tonight, without it, it donned on me on how fucked up it is. Not only the fact that I need the weapon itself, but it’s color.
It’s like, we’re trying to make rape culture cutesy. Same goes for pink tazers. Pink handguns. We’re trying to make these weapons adorable in order to distract ourselves from the reason we carry them: to prevent ourselves from attackers.
Not only that, but the pink is geared toward women (or people who identify as women). There isn’t any blue, masculine mace. Why? Because men aren’t the ones who carry it around. How fucking terrible is that? “Here you go, you cute little girls, here’s a pink weapon to protect yourself from potential rapists and/or murderers.” It’s furthering the idea that rape and violence towards women is acceptable. It’s saying because our ways of protecting ourselves are cute and stylish, we’re harmless. Weapons should never make a fashion statement.
The gendering of products is repulsive anyway, but this post reveals an even deeper fucked-up-ness. Great post.
(via deepwithfuture)
