Every woman knows how daunting it can be to travel whilst you’re wearing anything that’s slightly revealing. Getting on public transport as a woman can be an experience in itself, but when you’re in a short skirt or a low-cut top, it makes the journey feel twice as long.
It’s for those reasons that women online are showcasing the importance of carrying a ‘subway shirt.’ It’s a shirt that women wear over their outfits whilst on their commute to reduce the chances of being cat-called or harassed by men.
In this TikTok video, user @seriousactress explains the concept: “If you’re wearing a cute outfit and taking the train, don’t forget your subway shirt.”
“It’s a slightly more effective way of avoiding creepy shirts on your commute than doing nothing at all,” she says.
Sadly these videos resonated with several users but not for good reason. “This makes me so sad,” one user writes.
“Isn’t it sad we have to “dress down” when we are travelling via train/bus?” another user says.
One added: “No matter how much I try to look like a gremlin, at least one man will be tempted to bark at me.”
The concept unfortunately isn’t anything new. According to a survey commissioned by UN Women UK, seven in ten (71%) women in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space.
The most frequent forms of sexual harassment experienced by women aged 18–34 on public transport are sexual comments (27%), intrusive staring (25%), persistent questioning (19%), and stalking or being followed (15%).
Although these experiences are terrifying for women, a third of adults don’t believe persistent questioning to be sexual harassment and feel the same about catcalling and intrusive staring.
When a girl turns a certain age and starts to receive unwarranted attention from men, she learns the unwritten street rules she has to abide by.
Wearing a subway shirt is one rule but it’s not the only one we have to live by. Others include avoiding contact with men, pretending you’re on the phone or listening to music, telling a man you have a boyfriend when he asks for your number... the list could go on.
Subway shirts shouldn’t exist because women should be able to wear what they want without the fear of harassment. But until men can get their act together, subway shirts will continue to thrive.