In a slam poem that Binkovitz performed in March, she calls out rape culture, the internet, and the tendency to blame the victim (what they were wearing, what they were doing) for sexual assault. And then takes this idea even further. If intent is carried out by the clothes we wear, then what would happen in a world where our intent was based only on our clothes? You want someone to pass the salt? You wear a salt suit. You want steak? Yu wear a steak suit. And you’re guaranteed no salmonella…unless you’re wearing a suit asking for it.
There’s a lot of humor in the poem, but the message is clear: A woman’s clothing has nothing to do with whether she is sexually available and saying that clothing carries this intent is not only wrong, it is offensive and unacceptable. And Binkovitz is right when she points out that one of the chief perks of having sex with an adult is that if the adult wants something they can ask for it. Clothes, on the other hand, cannot talk.