Woman’s Foolproof Plan for Staying Safe on the Streets of New York City at Night: A Fake Mustache

cathybara Published 03/02/2024 in ftw

It’s no secret that some places can be dangerous for women. Increased risk of catcalling and street harassment, or increased risk of violence or assault, mean that women are often more on edge when walking around late at night or in large cities. And one young woman has discovered an ingenious solution to this dilemma: crossdressing.

@abbyseim Smooth sailing only w/the stache #mustache #fy #womenoftiktok #nyc #ny #fyp #besafe ♬ Yummy -

TikToker Abby posted a video taken on the streets of New York with the caption, “Whenever I’m out late, I make sure to break out the fake ‘midnight mustache.’ Stay safe out there ladies ”. In the footage, Abby can be seen in a men’s jacket with her hair tucked up into a baseball cap and, most crucially, wearing her “midnight mustache,” named so because it presumably only comes out after midnight.

The effect is impressive: She looks like any dude whose wardrobe choices skew slightly ‘90s, although pouting and posing for the camera like she does in the video might give her away to any onlookers.

Commenters were impressed, with one suggesting she name her alter ego “Short King,” while others compared the disguise to “when no one noticed Miley was Hannah Montana.” Others were slightly depressed by the video, with one woman commenting, “Not us having to Mulan just to go out at night .” Another women lamented, “That would work if I wasn’t 5’2.”

Others shared their own experiences of passing as men, with a woman writing, “One time I was walking my dog late in all black baggy sweats, big coat w the hood up and a guy was so scared of me he crossed the street lmaoooo .”

@zakiyathedobie scary dog privilege #dobermanpinscher #doberman ##dogsoftiktok##petsoftiktok##viral##selfcare##dobermans_of_tiktok##dobermanpuppy##trending##protectiondog##dogtraining##vlog##bigdogs ♬ Plain Jane - Ilkan Gunuc & Emie

Her comment is reminiscent of an old TikTok trend in which people would post videos of the reasons they weren’t scared of walking alone at night. While the trend was initially serious, with people posting videos of their intimidating dogs, it quickly devolved into a joke where they would instead post videos of harmless little dogs or, better yet, guy friends who looked like they might not necessarily be able to handle themselves in a fight.