Posters accuse 'mattress girl' Emma Sulkowicz of being a 'Pretty Little Liar'

A day after Emma Sulkowicz carried her mattress across the stage at her graduation ceremony to protest Columbia University’s handling of her alleged rape, posters have appeared in the neighborhood around campus calling the visual arts major a “Pretty Little Liar.”

A Twitter account with the handle @fakerape has appeared, tweeting photos of the posters in the neighborhood around Columbia and accusing Sulkowicz of “faking rape to perpetuate an Astroturf Agenda.”

https://twitter.com/fakerape/status/600987845373767683

The account has also tweeted posters that accuse Lena Dunham, who has said she was raped as a student at Oberlin College, of lying.

https://twitter.com/fakerape/status/600982415247413248

Sulkowicz has been carrying her mattress around campus since last fall, when she promised to lug the bed for as long as her alleged rapist was permitted to remain at school.  The student who allegedly raped Sulkowicz and two other women was found not guilty in all three cases.

Students began tearing the posters down shortly after they appeared, prompting the Fake Rape Twitter account to exclaim, “So Much for freedom of speech!”

https://twitter.com/fakerape/status/601025970791780352

But others, on Twitter and on campus, have come to Sulkowicz’ defense.

There’s no official word on who is behind the trolling, but Jezebel points out the similarities between these posters and the work of Sabo, a right-wing graffiti artist who has previously targeted Wendy Davis with “Abortion Barbie” posters. He has tweeted links to the Fake Rape account several times.

Emily DeRuy is a Washington, D.C.-based associate editor, covering education, reproductive rights, and inequality. A San Francisco native, she enjoys Giants baseball and misses Philz terribly.