Show HN: ROAR – a wearable safety device for women
Hi all, I'm launching a landing page to announce my new startup - www.useROAR.com - a tech wearable company aimed at reducing assaults against women.
We're finalizing the prototypes now and will be crowdfunding on CrowdTilt or Kickstarter later this Summer. The page is meant to collect emails of those interested in learning more about what we're doing so we can have a community ready to go when we announce the campaign.
I'd love to get thoughts from men and women on what you think of the messaging and the idea. I'm here to listen!
[EDIT] - Here's an album showing our circuit boards for the prototypes: http://imgur.com/a/O85fs There are actually two different versions as we're testing out using a rechargeable battery and a cell battery. Each one has a 75db alarm, a bright flashing light, and a bluetooth chip that connect to a smartphone to send a distress text/call.
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This line in particular paints women as weak and unintelligent:
"Existing self defense devices such as pepper spray and stun guns can be scary and intimidating."
Bringing up the 2012 Delhi gang rape is really playing off of women's fears and I seriously doubt your product would have made any difference whatsoever in the outcome of that attack.
Another problem I have with this is the positioning of it as only a product for women. Men are the victims of violent crime more often than women. Why wouldn't this be a good product for men too? By marketing only towards women to protect themselves from men you are implicitly placing women in the role of victim and men in the role of aggressor. This just serves to reinforce the roles prescribed by the so-called rape culture you're trying so hard to put and end to.