What Was She Wearing?

Throughout history, the lack of autonomy women have over their own bodies has always been blamed on the lack of modesty in their lifestyles. Instead of placing blame onto the predator who assaults women, there is typically a response as to what the women could have done for the assault to have been avoided. Without accountability for the abuse women go through, women may start to believe the hateful rhetoric being forced upon them and start turning against one another. This idea is perpetuated in The Handmaid’s Tale by the women’s opposition to one another during “Testifying.” During this time, the Handmaids are expected to share past personal experiences with the rest of the group. When it was Janine’s turn to share, she told the story about how she was “…gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion” (71). Instead of providing Janine with comfort and support as would be expected, the Handmaids instead told her it was “Her fault, her fault, her fault…” (72). This is representative of how society pits women against each other by showing how propaganda can persuade people to believe something that does not align with their ideals. The Handmaids’ chanting that Janine’s assault was her own fault was not a conclusion they came to on their own. Instead, they were being instructed to say this by the Aunts in Gilead until they started to believe what they were saying. In our society, this is seen in the rhetoric that women have to act a certain way for men not to prey upon them. If dressed in a way that is seen as “provocative,” a woman may be met with the question, “Well, what were you wearing?” This question has become normalized in conversations surrounding the sexual abuse of women and is used to deflect the blame of the abuser onto the innocent woman. This allows the idea that women need to dress modestly if they do not want their boundaries to be crossed to be sustained. This philosophy controls the way the Handmaids are allowed to dress. Each Handmaid has the same uniform: an outfit that is “…ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are a prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also being seen” (8). Since Handmaids are not allowed to have sex, or even be in the same room with a man unsupervised, this implies that one of the main reasons that the Handmaids should not be seen by society is that it may be too tempting for others to want sexual relations with the Handmaids. The lack of control of the men in Gilead dictates what the Handmaids are allowed to wear, and teaches them that their bodies should be something that they are ashamed of; merely an object for others’ pleasure that needs to be hidden away. The notion that a woman’s body is shameful causes both the women of Gilead and our society to feel like their bodies are a taboo subject that should not be discussed. This hateful speech leads them to the conclusion that they deserve the violations inflicted on them. After being ridiculed the week before, Janine tells the group that “It was (her) own fault. (She) led them on. (She) deserved the pain” (72). Being jeered at in the weeks before converted Janine’s mindset from being a victim in a disgusting situation to believing she was the one responsible for her own suffering. This shows how systematic oppression against women not only silences them, but also convinces them they need to carry their trauma alone. In our society, this results in women not speaking out against their abusers due to the fear that their situation will not be believed. In a society where women and their experiences are easily disregarded to preserve the lives of abusers, women lose their voices. In The Handmaid’s Tale, this holds a literal meaning– the Handmaids are forbidden from communicating with one another. In our society, this means that a woman’s voice feels powerless. Women will be forced to suffer and endure the abuses at the hands of men until society makes an effort to change its patriarchal ways. Even though they are set in different realities, the oppression and degradation of women are evident in both The Handmaid’s Tale and our own society. While The Handmaid’s Tale may be an exaggeration of the abuse women go through in our world, the themes of abuse and patriarchy are too common and too normalized in both societies. The Handmaid’s Tale should serve as a warning for what our society may become if the silencing and shaming of women continues without repercussions.