Results: What Were You Wearing?

If someone car jacks your car, no one asks "what were you wearing?". If someone breaks into your home and steals your belongings, no one asks "what were you wearing?". But, if you are raped, or sexually assaulted, this is the question asked -- "what were you wearing?". Each time a victim of sexual violence is asked what they were wearing, it heartlessly implies that she or he was responsible for the assault and could have prevented it. Regardless of who asks, the question itself feeds the Rape Culture, in which sexual violence is considered a societal norm. This culture doesn't teach people not to rape. Instead, people are taught not to be raped. No matter what kind of clothes a person wears, no one deserves to be sexually assaulted. Have you ever been the victim of a rape or sexual assault?

The "What Were You Wearing?" Survivor Art Installation originated at the University of Arkansas in 2013. Created by Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, the project was inspired by Dr. Mary Simmerling's poem, What I Was Wearing and is one of many projects worldwide working to address this specific rape myth. This myth is one of many pervasive narratives utilized to blame survivors and justify perpetrators. Have you read the poem that inspired this art installation?

The art installation is a travelling exhibit and is part of a larger project that collects survivor stories. Outfits range from a blue T-shirt and jeans, to flannel pajamas, to a preschooler's brightly coloured sundress, to a prom dress. One person was attacked while wearing an Army combat uniform and carrying their weapon. It's as much about the clothes as it is about the individual stories. And the message. It should not matter what the victim was wearing. Rape is never justified, or "provoked". Have you seen this exhibit?

The exhibit first started at the University of Arkansas in 2014. Students of the university participated by sharing brief descriptions of what they were wearing when they were sexually assaulted. Since 2014, countless colleges and universities across the United States have created their own campus-based "What Were You Wearing?" exhibits. Sexual violence is never about clothing—it's about the offender's need for power and control. Perhaps nothing drives this point home more than this little girl's sundress. She was six years old at the time of her rape. Do you understand and "get" the message this exhibit is trying to make?

For those of you that are interested, this is the poem that inspired this art installation. Did you find this simple poem powerful?