There's A Fake Penis Molded Into This Subway Seat For The Best Reason
Mexico City Metro is sending a pretty pointed message out to its train riders by placing a "penis seat" in one of their train cars, complete with a plastic mold of a man's chest, groin area and flaccid penis.
The seat is reserved for men only, which has sparked some complaints that the statement made is a sexist one.
That being said, however, the whole point of the seat really is to draw men's attention to an ongoing issue in Mexico City, and the most effective way to do that is to single men out.
The video below shows just how uncomfortable the seat is making its passengers:
As you can see in the video, men don't exactly love sitting on the seat.
My personal favorite moment is the guy who tries to make it work and ignore the discomfort by placing a jacket down above the wiener for a while, until he ultimately decides the slight discomfort is too much to handle and settles for standing.
However, ICYMI, the whole point of the seat is to take a stand against sexual assault.
This demonstration is trying to prove to passengers that people have the RIGHT to feel comfortable when they're going about their business, without having random men trying to rub their bodies against them.
A small sign below the seat really sums up the point of this penis seat:
In English, it reads,
It's uncomfortable to sit here but it doesn't compare with the sexual violence that women suffer in their everyday lives.
Unfortunately, Mexico City has a huge issue when it comes to sexual assault.
The video ends with a pretty alarming stat: "Nine out of 10 women in Mexico City have been victims of some form of sexual violence."
If you're not a big math person, let me put it in simpler terms. NINE OUT OF 10 WOMEN IS 90 PERCENT OF WOMEN. That's, like, the VAST MAJORITY of women.
Clearly, this is an enormous problem, and the penis seat is nothing but the beginning of a long road of work Mexico City has to do to raise awareness about sexual harassment and violence against women.
Citations: 'Penis seat' reserved for men appears on public transport (Metro.co.uk)
