Would You Wear Date Rape Prevention Nail Polish?

Image via Twitter/Undercover Colors

Approximately 18 percent of women in the U.S. will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. What if you could wear something to prevent yourself from becoming a victim?

This is what one startup company is trying to accomplish with its new nail polish — that’s right, nail polish! Undercover Colors, which was created by four students from North Carolina State University, is dedicated to empowering women and giving them a way to detect drugs that might cloud their judgment and turn them into a statistic.

Undercover Colors is developing a nail polish that changes color when it’s near drugs such as Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB. All you’ll need to do is discreetly dip your finger in your drink and see if your nail polish turns a different hue.

Through this nail polish and similar technologies, we hope to make potential perpetrators afraid to spike a woman’s drink because there’s now a risk that they can get caught,” the startup says on its Facebook page. “In effect, we want to shift the fear from the victims to the perpetrators.”

The goal is to make potential attackers afraid of committing the crime of assaulting women. Undercover Colors is accepting donations on their website to fund their initiatives.

About 89,000 people report a rape in the U.S. each year. Approximately 16 percent of women have experienced an attempted or completed rape.

While nail polish may not be the first weapon against physical assault that comes to mind, it’s worth recognizing the benefits of opting for this fashion statement. Not only can it enhance the look of your nails, but it can also come in handy when you’re out on the town and want to feel safe.

Undercover Colors’ nail polish could provide peace of mind to women who are going out alone. The sense of independence and empowerment that comes from wearing the nail polish can do wonders for a user’s self-esteem, especially if she has experienced a physical assault in the past.

Now we patiently await the color selection.