HAMSTR. BALL: What a fake product taught us about Victim Blaming in Melbourne.
Since the beginning of 2018, 68 women have been killed in Australia. Countless more women were victims of sexual violence, and even more likely faced harassment and discrimination this year. In response to a tragic incident in Melbourne in mid-2018 – which ignited national discussions about women’s safety – Police messaging was for the community to "...be aware of their own personal security and just be mindful of their surroundings."
Whilst disappointing, this response isn’t anything new. What woman hasn’t been told to be careful taking the train at night, or not get in a taxi alone, or not walk down quiet streets after dark? By telling women to be safe by looking over their shoulder or staying under the street lights - you aren’t preventing violence from happening. Instead, you are saying “let it be the less ‘vigilant’ woman who is attacked.”
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Victim blaming attitudes are only one symptom of rape culture, however they perpetuate the idea that women are somehow complicit in their victimisation. Melbourne City Mission’s Youth Action Group (YAG) - a committee of young leaders passionate about social justice and gender equality - wanted to challenge victim blaming and encourage people to examine their assumptions about violence.
Inspired by other satirical social campaigns, the 2018 YAG decided to create a campaign to highlight that expecting women to take protective measures to avoid violence is both impractical and deeply unfair.
Enter Hamstr. Ball; a fake product that promises to keep women safe by encasing them in a large plastic bubble. Marketed as a solution to violence against women, the Hamstr. Ball was designed to be an explicitly ridiculous product. Expecting women to walk around in a giant plastic bubble is neither fair nor sensible; and it is similarly unreasonable to expect women to stay inside after dark, or carry pepper spray, or be constantly looking over their shoulder for danger.
The Hamstr. Ball campaign included an online store, a Facebook page, and a video demonstrating its use. During the month-long duration of the campaign, our product received hundreds of comments on social media, and reached more than 60,000 people. Whilst some of our audience immediately realized the product was fake, others discovered the hoax through exploring our website and landing on the ‘reveal’ page - where we provided information about victim blaming and how to combat it in everyday conversations.
The response to the campaign was mixed: some were angered that a product like this exists, and then amused once it was revealed to be fake. Unfortunately, some comments exemplified the attitudes we were trying to address:
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“Are men just not allowed to find women attractive anymore smh”
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“I’d rather teach a lady how to properly defend herself then [sic] waste my time trying to blame all men”
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“Sometimes it is how the women [sic] dresses”
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“Get a gun ladies”
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“Isn’t a can of mace easier to use?”
A strong thread of “what about men” was also present in the social media response: not only were we accused of blaming all men for violence against women but were also asked why we weren’t creating a product for men. This response was clearly not what the YAG was aiming for or expecting - particularly as there is no mention of men in our video or website. However, it does reveal the backlash and what-about-ery that discussions of women’s issues sometimes receive.
Overall, the Hamstr. Ball campaign treaded new ground for the Youth Action Group. It revealed that much more needs to be done to challenge victim blaming in Australian society and identified a lack of awareness of the true causes of gendered violence.
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To find out more about the Hamstr. Ball campaign, explore our website and Facebook page.