Last year, I heard about some students from North Carolina University who claimed to have created a nail polish that turned colors if it was exposed to any type of date rape drug. After doing more research, I thought it would be an interesting topic for a blog.
Why They Did It
The four students (surprisingly all male) say they aim to combat sexual assault by combining modern chemistry with traditional cosmetics. Now in order for the nail polish to work, it must be dipped into a drink, where it acts like a chlorine strop tester for date rape drugs. It can test for drugs such as Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB. They made an extremely correct point: “while date rape drugs are used to facilitate sexual assault, there is very little science in how to detect them.” They wanted to empower women to feel comfortable going out by themselves, and having something to look out for them.
Controversy
Katie Russell, from Rape Crisis England and Wales, believes that this nail polish is actually making women seem as though it is their fault if drugs appear to be in their drink. Points are also being made that Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB are no longer used that often as date rape drugs, so why would they even bother.
Really?
While I respect these claims, I as well as other I polled, do not agree. I decided to survey some of my sorority sisters and friends to see how they feel about all this information.
I first asked them if they felt this drug was sexist towards women. The 15 girls I surveyed all gave a resounding NO. They felt that having this drug gave them power back in being able to protect themselves. The sad truth is that us girls have to look out for ourselves and each other. We can NOT rely on men (the ones who have an interest in date-raping women) to just stop what they are doing, and what they have probably done before. Sadly, this is not how our society handles the issue of rape and sexual assault.
Next, I asked them if they thought it was pointless to have a nail polish that only detected three drugs? Especially if those drugs were not as commonly used anymore. The girls were more hesitant in their answers, but they all sounded a bit like this:
They all agreed that it wasn’t 100% helpful if these drugs are not always used anymore. But they all also agreed that just because the drugs aren’t commonly used, doesn’t mean they never will be used. They are thankful that there are men out there who want to help us, as a society of women, prevent terrible things from happening. They decided that they would probably invest in the nail polish but they would push the four boys, now going by the name Undercover Colors, to create more types of nail polishes, ones that can detect every type of date rape drug.
What Do You Think?
Personally, I have to agree with my sisters. I am thankful that these men created something that can potentially prevent women from being raped. Just because it may seem sexist to other, or pointless, do we really have to slam the boys and the product? It might not be the answer to all of our prayers, but it is a step in the right direction to help us protect ourselves. Tell me how you feel about this new product!
We shouldnt be living in fear, but we have to. Our society sucks, but for you to say that this product is pointless is absolutely ridiculous. If there is anything in this world that can prevent me and any other women from being hurt, I’m sure as hell going to support it.
Also, I think comparing this to terrorism is wrong. I have a friend this year who was roofied at a bar, and I can’t help but think that if there was any other way that could have helped herself stay out of harms way, then maybe there would have been a chance she might have been fine and would have been able to prevent this from happening.
I am not quite sure what you mean when you say that most of the kids that you have met here are the ones looking for thosedrugs? Are you implying that men you have met are interested in date raping women, or are you saying that the boys you have met are taking those drugs for fun? Either way, thats screwed up.
I totally agree with you, but to be fair, we’ve been trying to change the way society handles rape and sexual assault for so long, and nothing has really changed. This is one way we can help ourselves, while we try to fix our broken world
I really commend the University of North Carolina students who created this nail-polish. I believe it will save the mental and physical health of many young college women. I also believe that this will spread, and become popular at larger state schools such as Penn State. While this was uplifting to read, I have a couple of concerns.
My first concern is that people have become creative. People don’t always use those three drugs for date rape anymore. I’ve personally never heard of GHB being used as a date rape drug. Secondly, I worry that when these drugs are used, the effects will negate the process of remembering to check their nail polish. For example, GHB and Rohypnol are almost instantly released into your blood stream. They take roughly fifteen minutes to kick in, and I worry that a girl who has been drinking will fail to remember to check her nail polish immediately. Secondly, these two drugs alongside Xanax, attack your ability to remember long term tasks. Side effects include coordination failure, making it hard for users to walk and cognitively function. Bluntly speaking, I am worried someone who is unable to walk and (probably)intoxicated, will fail to remember to check their nail polish color. Essentially, if the drugs work, there is a good chance they forget. Secondly, I worry that patients may observe the color change but will fail to communicate the situation to their friends. Affected by a large dose of GHB or Xanax, one may find it difficult to speak, stand, walk, or articulate thoughts. I simply worry about the drugs eliminating the ability to defend oneself, regardless of the color change.
Lastly, I am leaving a video posted below in order to increase awareness of date-rape drugs. No one in this video actually drinks their (drugged) drink, it is for educational purposes. You will see how easy it is for someone to slip something in your drink, regardless of your gender, race, size or intoxication level.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/date-rape-drugs.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIVjqu3lQU4
While I appreciate the idea behind the nail polish, it feels to me like “don’t wear short skirts and you won’t get raped”. We have to change the dialogue from the victims dealing with the offence to dealing with the offenders and prevention of the behavior in the first place.
I honestly disagree. Why do women have to be walking this world with that nail polish on, that is walking this world in fear. Why do we have to live in fear? that isn’t being careful, that is teaching yourself how to live as an introvert. Can you imagine how degrading that feels to wear? Its like saying “Oh, I am never going to leave my dorm because of all these terrorist attacks that are happening in the U.S.” Just because they are happening does not mean it directly affects you, and I’m sure you haven’t stopped going to your classes. There will always be problems, always. Anywhere where there is power, there will always be a force working against it. AND ALSO when was the last time you heard about someone being roofied, and not like when one of your friends had too many drinks and decided to blame it on getting drugged, but like actually getting drugged. Girls don’t need to be going out on dates with the idea that every man you come in contact with is going to sabotage you, there has to be some hope!!
and if you ask me, most of the kids I have met here are the ones looking for those drugs. So yeah i disagree.