A 29-year-old social media influencer in the US has urged women to carry spray paint instead of pepper spray as a tool for self-defence, the New York Post reported. Her advice comes after several unprovoked attacks on women were reported in New York City.
Explaining her reasoning, Monique 'Moe' Black said a can of spray paint is more effective than pepper spray, as it marks the suspect, making it easier for police to find them. She added that spray paint is also more reliable and easier to get and is less likely to blow back in the user's face, as opposed to pepper spray.
''I prefer spray enamel, to be honest, because that sh-t is never coming off,'' Ms Black told The Post.
The influencer said that she always carries a can in her tote bag, under her shoulder where it is easy to grab. Notably, she got the idea from her stepdad, a retired homicide detective for the Detroit Police Department.
“He was like, ‘You know if you spray somebody in the face and then whack them over the head with it, you're probably going to have enough time to run away,'” Ms Black said.
She shared her idea on TikTok, after watching videos of women being victims of random, unprovoked attacks in New York City.
''All my friends in the city ordered it to, like, an Amazon locker in Jersey City. It is technically legal, but you're gonna have to go over the river and through the woods to maybe pick up a bedazzled pepper spray that probably won't do anything,'' she added.
While people in the city are free to carry or use spray paint, it is illegal for it to be shipped there and stores must be licensed or authorized to sell it.
Many women reached out to her, thanking her for the safety tip, with one person saying it saved her life in a domestic violence situation.
''I was in a domestic violence situation and I remembered your video. I used spray paint and it gave me enough time to run out of my house and my neighbors were able to see me covered in blood and they called the police,'' the unnamed woman told Ms Black.
