An art student at the University of Iowa, 22-year-old Taylor Yocom has created a photo series called ‘Guarded’, on display at Public Space One in Iowa City from May 8 to May 31, capturing Iowa women and the objects they carry daily to protect themselves from sexual assaults/attacks. The models for her photo series included activists and victims as well as women who were trying to stay strong amidst the rape culture.
Yocom writes about her inspiration behind the eye-opening series on her website:
The objects of self-defense we attached to our key chains spoke volumes. They were the physical manifestation of the realities that women have to face every day: the necessity to be ‘on guard’ in a society plagued by rape culture and victim blaming.
Talking to my peers, I was amazed at how commonplace these objects were. Girls put pepper spray where petty trinkets should be. Some even were gifted mace guns by their fathers. The connotation of these loaded objects being so casually used on a keychain baffled me. It was a constant reminder of the sensed danger looming around. I saw this as an opportunity.
According to studies, one in four college women will be the victim of sexual assault during her college career; this shows how greatly these incidents affect women beyond the University of Iowa campus. “In creating this project, I hope to expand the viewers’ mindset: to rethink the statistics about rape and assault, to visualize that one in four women are assaulted in their lifetime, as a personal reality not a meaningless number,” she adds.
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They should give out free projectile tasers to woman who requested them. Better yet how about men teach their sons better. Teach them to respect a woman not to oogle over and lust for them treating them as objects. Who would even rape somebody anyways needs to be shot.
Better yet: Let’s take a simple lesson in biology and the function of having two distinct genders. Do some research, you might learn something.
Oh yeah free projectile weapons for every woman. I think kids should also get them. In fact, why don´t we all just carry guns, knifes and brassknuckles all the time? That would protect us from every rapist, drug dealer or even people who thinke different than us. I believe every man who looked at a womans busm even ONCE in his lifetime should immediatly be castratet. In public. With life streams.
If he actually dares to look one in the eye or even talk to them, a feminist collective should gather around him, stomp his balls with high heels and slowly kick him to death.
Funniest shut I’ve read for a while, but I have to agree with you, giving every woman a projectile taser is just as sexist as having higher pay for men than women (even though in certain circumstances this isn’t true because of many different factors). To be honest certain women are just as crazy as some men and I’ve heard stories of groups of women beating the shit out of some poor guy for looking at a FINE LADY, then chopping of their dicks, so yeah.
‘Fox’: The 6th-to-last girl is wearing knuckle-duster devices on both hands.
So this article actually promotes that.
And your argument is loony, if you had a point to make it was lost in poor grammar and hyperbole.
As a self defence instructor, I cringe whenever I see anyone placing their keys between their fingers like a lot of these girls have done.
DO NOT DO THIS.
Assuming you have the time and/or presence of mind to actually position your keys like this during an attack, and assuming that you actually get a chance to land a solid hit, you are FAR MORE LIKELY TO CAUSE TISSUE DAMAGE IN BETWEEN YOUR METACARPALS than doing even the slightest bit of damage to the bad guy.
In fact, you’re opening yourself to the possibility of actually embedding the keys into your hand, rendering yourself defenceless.
Instead, invest in a “Kubotan” style keychain and learn how to use it, or use a sturdy lanyard and loop it around your hand so you can SLASH with the keys.
Believe me, all you have to do is graze the bad guys’ eyes with a key and I guarantee you he’s going to go down/disengage.
Other than common sense/awareness, the best self-defence weapon is the one you have in your hand, ready to go. Attacks happen in an instant, and even if it WAS effective, do you really think you could place your keys like that and use them in the .05 seconds it takes for someone to attack you?
Take it from a professional with 15 years experience, DO NOT DO THIS. EVER.
Use your keys as a slashing weapon and RUN.
I understand Yocom’s intent here, but she really should have consulted some professionals before posting these images, because it’s sending the message that using keys like this is an effective weapon against assault.
IT ISN’T.
Actually Dave, you are totally missing the point, and completely misunderstanding Yocom’s intend here.
DO NOT DO THIS. (PLEASE)
Also, you’re making this article about you.
IT ISN’T. (REALLY!)
Lol, butthurt feminazi incoming. The guy above is totally right, holding keys clenched to your fist like that is useless and dangerous for you.
No I’m not, and I thank you not to make judgements like that about me.
I completely understand the point, and how you got the idea that I’m somehow making this about myself completely eludes me.
Did I post a link to sign up for a course, or try to promote myself in any way? No, I did not. I simply offered a rebuttal to a widely held belief in the myth of using keys as a punching/stabbing weapon for self defence, and the irresponsibility of Yocom in inadvertantly helping perpetuate that myth.
You know, it’s people like YOU that make it difficult for people like ME to try and be a feminist ally with comments like that.
Perhaps you should take that overblown sense of insight you seem to have and turn it inwards before you cast judgements and draw conclusions about people of which you know less than nothing.
1/10 would bang… no needs for anti-rape weapons
You would be surprised to see what kind of different people get raped…really
Rapist in different areas don’t care who is better looking, they seek out easy targets.
It’s a bit different when someone is at a party and there is someone there who they find really attractive or something and slip something in their drink or get them wasted.
No… anybody can get raped. your age and gender and sexuality doesn’t matter… Just putting that out there…
My 12 year old does not go outside without her 2 doberman. So far, 100% stranger danger free.
I fear for the 5th-to-last girl – she has her pepper-spray backwards. smh