News about this truly oddball product–hairy leg tights designed to protect women from “perverts”–made the rounds on social media last week, but with shockingly little critique of how deeply messed up (and not just weird) the whole concept actually is.  Though it feels painfully obvious, CAN WE JUST SAY:

Contrary to what this obnoxious product implies…

1.  Rape is not about sexual attraction.  It’s about power and domination.  It’s not called sexualized violence for nothing, right?

2. Even if attractiveness were a relevant concept here (which it absolutely isn’t), women’s dark leg hair can be attractive! It’s only misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, and transphobic brainwashing that might convince some folks otherwise.

3. In our transphobic and violently gender-policing society, there’s not a whole lot of safety to be found in breaking cultural rules about gendered self-presentation.

4. Guess what, smooth bare legs don’t cause rape–rapists cause rape.  Cut the victim-blaming.  Women don’t need to be sold yet another product for their self-protection; men need to stop being violent.

So, just like practically everybody else on the Internet, WAVAW thinks these tights are pretty gross, but for a different set of reasons.  Leg hair is fine–it’s the policing of women’s bodies that makes us want to barf.