Background information
From the football pitch to the street: studded shoes are shaking up fashion
by Stephanie Vinzens
Fashion words: what is a subway shirt, who wears them and why?
25.10.2023
Translation: machine translated
In the world of fashion, we use terms whose meaning is far from obvious to the uninformed. The subway shirt, however, is one of those terms whose definition, once explained to us, seems obvious. The origin of this garment, however, has nothing to do with fashion per se and is very sad indeed.
No, the t-shirt in question has nothing to do with the fast food chain you may have been thinking of. We'd like to think that this trend is actually a marketing stunt, but it's actually a t-shirt that you put on before taking the subway, the New York underground. It was first in New York, and then in many other cities, that a number of young women posted viral videos this summer. These videos showed women putting on or taking off large, shapeless t-shirts, jumpers or jackets meant to hide their short summer clothes from view, or even from the wandering hands of attackers as they travelled on public transport. (Warning sarcasm) Because, as we all know, wearing short clothes and showing a bit of skin is inviting sexual harassment.(End of sarcasm).
Of course, the fear of harassment is not limited to the American metropolis. I, for example, had the sight of a naked penis forced upon me in the Berlin underground. My colleague Stephanie Vinzens, meanwhile, has been subjected to the wandering hands of men on the train: "While I was waiting for the next stop, standing in front of the door, a man grabbed me from behind and slipped his hand up my mini-skirt. It was disgusting. I was shocked, but I called him out. A young man who had seen the attack did the same. But the train doors opened and my assailant ran off."
It may sound crazy to you, but these kinds of assaults happen every day and everywhere. In an ideal world, we wouldn't even understand the point of a subway shirt. In a less ideal world, victims wouldn't have to put on huge shirts to protect themselves, but those responsible would wear blinders, muzzles and handcuffs on transport. Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, it's women who don't feel safe in the underground without a big shirt. And rightly so, because they are not safe.
Have you ever had to deal with similar situations? Don't hesitate to let us know in the comments.
In the "Fashion Words" series, I'm trying to shed some light on different terms. If you, too, sometimes feel "lost in translation", I can certainly help; tell me more in the comments.
via Pexels
Laura Scholz
Senior Editor
Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.chAlways in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.
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