News
“Women Are Wearing ‘Subway Shirts’ to Protect Them From Harassment — Because They Shouldn’t Need to Wear Subway Shirts to Avoid Unwanted Attention”
Sep
Introduction: Fashion as a Shield in Daily Commuting
On hot summer days in cities around the world, many women are adopting an unusual style hack—wearing what’s become known as a “subway shirt”, an oversized and shapeless garment slipped on over their normal clothes when riding public transport. The purpose? To feel less visible, to avoid predatory stares, catcalls, and unwanted touches. It’s a trend that highlights a painful truth: women are altering how they dress because the public realm is not safe enough.
This phenomenon, widely discussed under the headline “Women Are Wearing ‘Subway Shirts’ to Protect Them From Harassment”, has stirred debate over who should bear the burden. The deeper question: women shouldn’t need to wear subway shirts to avoid unwanted attention. This article explores the origins of the subway shirt trend, its psychological and social implications, what it says about safety and gender norms, and why it’s both a coping strategy and a symptom of a larger problem.
1. What Is a “Subway Shirt” and How Did It Become a Trend
The term “subway shirt” (also called “outfit dampener”) refers to an oversized, shapeless top (often a T-shirt, button-down, or loose long-sleeved shirt) that women wear over “summery” or revealing clothing when entering public transport systems, especially subways, buses, and metros. The idea is to cover curves, reduce exposure, and feel less likely to attract unwanted attention or harassment.
The idea spread via social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Videos shared by young women show them carrying a bag with a cute top or a more revealing outfit, then slipping on a loose shirt (sometimes even discarded by a friend or kept in their bag) before boarding a train or metro. Once they reach their destination (a concert, café, social event), they peel off the subway shirt to reveal their “real” outfit.
While the term “subway shirt” may sound relatively new, the behavior it describes is not. Surveys in various countries (including France) have long shown that many women adjust their clothing choices in public transport — opting for trousers instead of skirts, covering cleavage, choosing what they perceive as less provocative items when traveling.
2. Where the Trend Has Taken Root: France, New York, UK, and Beyond
Though the trend has been widely documented in New York City and other U.S. cities, it has also appeared in France, the UK, and elsewhere. In each place, the core driver is similar: women seeking to reduce the risk of harassment during commuting.
In France, for example, there is long-standing awareness of how women change their clothing when using public transport. A survey by the National Federation of Transport Users (FNAUT) revealed that nearly half of women in France reported altering how they dress (e.g. wearing trousers instead of skirts, using scarves to cover cleavage) to avoid harassment on the Metro, buses, or trains.
Similarly, the subway shirt trend has been popular among younger women who say they prefer lighter, more revealing summer clothes but feel pressured to cover up for safety. A 19-year-old woman in New York noted that she “forgets [her subway shirt] and instantly regrets it” because of the discomfort or risk she perceives without it.
3. The Motivation: Harassment, Safety, and Psychological Burden
A. Harassment as a Daily Reality
Street harassment, including catcalls, staring, unsolicited comments, and even unwanted touching, is common in many urban public transit systems. In France, surveys show that a very high percentage of women have experienced harassment of some form when commuting — on metro, buses, or train networks.
The subway shirt is a kind of adaptive strategy: it acknowledges the risk and tries to reduce it, however imperfectly. But it also reveals how frequent and normalized harassment is — that people feel the need to adopt these tactics to feel safe, or less vulnerable.
B. The Emotional Cost
Wearing a subway shirt is often described as exhausting and demeaning. Because it implies that a woman must change her appearance — sometimes her entire outfit — depending on where and when she’s walking. It forces people to constantly anticipate danger, to modify behavior, dress, or routes based on risk perception.
Some women report feeling resentful or frustrated that in order to feel safe, they must hide the clothes they want to wear, shrink away from attention, or carry extra garments. There is often regret when forgetting the subway shirt; some describe the feeling of having “exposed” themselves to risk or discomfort.
4. Does It Actually Help?
The efficacy of subway shirts is ambiguous. While many women say wearing one helps them feel safer, less conspicuous, less exposed, there is no evidence that it significantly reduces the incidence of harassment or physical assault. Harassers may still act; cover-ups do not guarantee safety.
Also, the tactic does nothing to address the root causes: power imbalances, societal norms that objectify women, impunity for harassers, and lack of enforcement. It offers coping, not justice.
5. Women Shouldn’t Have to Wear Subway Shirts to Avoid Unwanted Attention
This brings us to the central moral and social imperative: the problem should not be that women modify their clothes or behavior — the problem lies with those who feel entitled to harass. Several feminist commentators have pointed out that attempts to regulate women’s dress, to “teach” modesty, or to shift the burden of safety onto potential victims, are misguided and unfair. The onus should be on systems, communities, laws to protect, not on individuals to armor themselves.
Those who defend the subway shirt trend often say: yes, it’s unfair, but until public transit, legal systems, and social norms change, women must use what tools are available to reduce harm. But this is framed always with a bittersweet recognition: no one should have to adapt their appearance or behavior out of fear.
6. Policy, Legal, and Cultural Efforts to Reduce the Need for Subway Shirts
A. Legal Regulations
France has outlawed street sexual harassment. As of a 2018 law, catcalling or making lewd or harassing comments in public spaces — including public transport — can lead to fines of up to €750, and more severe behavior is penalized further.
Such laws help create deterrents, but enforcement, reporting, and societal awareness remain challenges.
B. Public Transit and Institutional Responses
Some public transport authorities have adopted measures like awareness campaigns, posters encouraging bystander intervention, hotlines or apps for reporting harassment, targeted training for staff, and in some places, women-only carriages. In France, campaigns like “Stop, c’est assez” have been deployed to try to shift public perceptions.
C. The Role of Social Media and Conversation
Social media has been essential in amplifying the subway shirt conversation. Videos, TikToks, and posts both document personal experience and make visible something many women feel in isolation. The hashtag #SubwayShirt and similar tags allow shared experiences and validation. But they also bring risk: renewed harassment in comment sections, victim-blaming, or harassment of those posting.
7. Critiques and Complications
- Some argue that the subway shirt could inadvertently reinforce the idea that harassment is normal, inevitable, and that women must adapt.
- Others worry it could lead to more judgment: women who don’t wear subway shirts might be unfairly blamed if something happens.
- There is also concern about emotional labor: constantly dressing with anxiety in mind is tiring and justice denied.
The critique is also philosophical: the world should change, not those who are vulnerable.
8. Voices from Women Doing It
Women interviewed in articles recount mixed feelings:
- Claire Henrick, 24, said: “I wish I didn’t have to wear one and that it was safe to be able to wear what I want. It feels like I’m going back to a middle school dress code as an adult — continuing to dress so that men leave me alone.”
- Ajana Grove, 19, said: “Every time I forget my subway shirt, I instantly regret it and think about turning around.”
These statements underline both the protective impulse and the psychological cost: self-censorship born from fear.
9. Cultural and Gender Norms Behind the Trend
A. Fashion, Sexualization, and Visibility
Clothing, especially women’s clothing, often becomes a site of conflict between self-expression and societal judgement. Summery clothing, crop tops, short skirts — all are common but carry risk of sexualization. The subway shirt is a compromise: cover up temporarily in spaces perceived as dangerous. But this echoes long-standing norms about wardrobe policing.
B. Masculinity and Entitlement
Part of the problem is the behavior of some men who believe public space is available for sexual commentary or objectification. The existence of the subway shirt underscores that for many women, perceived male gaze or harassment is not occasional but expected. The question raised: why must women adjust, when the harassers are so rarely held accountable?
10. Moving Forward: What Needs to Change
- Stronger enforcement of laws against harassment (verbal, physical).
- Better public education, including men and boys, about consent, respect, and respecting boundaries.
- More public transit safety measures: cameras, staff training, easier reporting tools.
- Cultural change: challenging victim-blaming, objectification, and normalizing standing up against harassing behavior.
- Empowering bystanders: making it socially acceptable and expected to intervene or report when witnessing harassment.
Conclusion: Liberation Without Layers
The trend of wearing subway shirts is a testament to human resilience: when systems fail to protect, individuals develop their own forms of protection. Yet, it’s also a reminder of how far we still have to go.
Women should be able to wear what they want—light, revealing, or conservative—without fear of harassment. The best outcome isn’t more protective fashions; it’s respect, safety, and freedom. The real liberation comes when no one feels compelled to hide, adapt, or moderate their appearance in order simply to move through public spaces without fear.
Until then, subway shirts are a tool—sadly necessary for some—but the goal must be a society where they are obsolete.
Let me know if you’d like a version of this that’s optimized for a magazine layout, or an op-ed style piece that includes more first-person testimonials.