Still Not Asking For It is my Parsons BFA thesis project. Similar to Locker Room Talk, I created an online form and asked women to send me what men said to them when they rejected the advances of those men. I posted the link to the survey on my Facebook and asked others to share it around, and to date, 225 responses have been recorded. I then chose a quote and embroidered it onto a piece of underwear, either a bra, panty, lacy lingerie, etc. Embroidery is often seen as “women’s work” and I am reclaiming that title, using embroidery to speak the words that these women did not feel comfortable speaking aloud. These garments are often very calculated and are extremely personal to the wearer.  The choice of wearing lacy underwear (or whatever underwear makes a person feel comfortable and good about themselves) can be used against women, as they are often told not to wear skimpy clothing or else they are “asking for it.” 

There is an argument that women should not wear provocative clothing if they do not want to be assaulted, but this is not the case.  A woman’s clothing choice is not an invitation for unwanted attention.  Checking the daily news websites has become an emotionally daunting one, as it seems like there is a new sexual assault accusation every day. With this series, I hope to show that it does not matter what a woman is wearing, and men should be able to control their urges and take no for an answer.