What Are Subway Shirts? The Trend Going Viral On TikTok

By Chloe Laws

The hashtag ‘subway shirts’ currently has 4.7M views, with the term gaining popularity and going viral in the last week.

The ‘trend’ is about women coming together to show the realities of dressing in public, especially in hot weather, to avoid harassment from men. 'Subway shirts’ are, simply, baggy t-shirts that go over your outfit, and since New Yorkers posted about it, it's resonated globally with women in the UK posting their versions.

Fashion influencer Sophie Milner posted a video titled: "The outfit versus the outfit I wear on the tube so I don't get harassed and stared at by creeps."

She said in the caption that "I've done this for so long it's become a subconscious part of getting dressed – so I’m glad it's being talked about! Whether it's changing out of over-the-knee boots into trainers, throwing a large trench over the top, putting leggings on under a sheer skirt, or an oversized sweater/ shirt/ tee and then ofc changing into ✨the outfit✨ in the toilets before you go to the event/ wherever you’re planning on going (and carrying a tote full of your tube/subway/ travel clothes in all night) – I do it going to the shops in summer – throw an oversized tee over my gym shorts and crop top so that less dudes catcall me on the walk to Sainsburys."

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Sophie continued to say that "It's universal. As someone who has always loved expressing themselves with fashion, wearing outfits that make ME feel good about myself, it frustrates me so much that I have to tailor my choices so often to avoid unwanted attention and stay safe. Also, women don't dress for men. We dress for ourselves. We dress for other women too, often. But it's rarely about men. If I’m dressing for men I’m putting on a baggy t-shirt, sweatpants and sunglasses so you don't look my way…"

The post is hugely relatable, with hundreds of women in the comments sharing the experience. I myself have been there many times: wearing a big coat over a mini dress en route to a night out, doing up the buttons of a shirt up to the top before getting on the tube, wearing the less-cute outfit option to avoid unwanted attention.

By Chloe Laws

By Emily Tannenbaum

By Emma Howarth

While none of the viral posts are victim shaming – i.e. telling women that if they don't wear a ‘subway shirt’, then they're ‘asking for it’ – the trend's existence does bring up some important questions.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Eliza Hatch, from Cheer Up Luv, said on Instagram "Now I want to clarify FIRMLY that I am not not *not* hating on these videos at all, I think they are a brilliant conversation starter. But they are also a grim reminder that we still have to account for our personal safety, we still have to monitor and police our own bodies, and are still denied freedoms to wear whatever we want, even in stiflingly hot city summers."

"Subway shirt, or not, we live in a society where women are objectified and violence against us is rife."

Eliza added that, "We know what we wear doesn't determine how some men will behave. Men will catcall someone wearing a tracksuit or a bikini, it doesn't matter – because it's about power and control, and not clothing. So are we sending a message to men that they are still in control of our bodies? Are we ever going to be safe enough to wear whatever we want? Does covering up just mean patriarchy has won, and that our bodies are inherently sexual if they are exposed?"

In 2019, a survey conducted for The Independent found 55% of men believed that "The more revealing the clothes a woman wears, the more likely it is that she will be harassed or assaulted."

We know this is not true and that rape can happen to anyone, anywhere, whatever their outfits. But it does point to our societal judgement and how we view people (especially women) who chose to wear less.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to how victims of patriarchy decide to dress in order to protect themselves.

The only wrong is the person assaulting and harassing. As women, we are so conditioned to see unwanted stares, catcalling and even assault as normal, and we often carry it as if it's our burden. That we must protect ourselves from it; by covering up, by not running in the dark, by not walking home alone.

We do these things, in the slim hope that it'll mean we're lucky, this time. But, deep down, we know it doesn't matter. Subway shirt or not, we live in a society where women are objectified and violence against us is rife.

This ‘trend’ has cracked open yet another burden on women, one that is born from living in a patriarchy, but rather than accepting it as a sad reality, we must rally against it. Do what you must to feel safe, baggy shirt and all, but let us try not normalise this inequality further. Because, this is not just another viral ‘TikTok trend', this is our lives.

We should not be telling women and girls to protect themselves by covering up. The onus is not on us.

Can we let this unproblematic, talented queen live?

By Sheilla Mamona