Art Exhibit Powerfully Answers The Question 'What Were You Wearing?'

[sheshe2]

The installation proves that clothing has nothing to do with sexual assault.

The art project was created in 2013 by Jen Brockman, the director of KU’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center, and Dr. Mary A. Wyandt-Hiebert, who oversees all programming initiatives at the University of Arkansas’ rape education center. The installation has been featured at several other schools since 2013, including University of Arkansas and University of Iowa.

Brockman told HuffPost that the main goal of “What Were You Wearing?” is to promote awareness about sexual violence and to combat victim-blaming.

“Participants can come into the gallery and see themselves reflected in not only the outfits, but also in the stories,” she said. “To be able to create that moment in this space where they say, ‘Wow I have this outfit hanging in my closet,’ or ‘I wore this this week.’ By doing this we could hopefully reveal the myth that if we just avoid that outfit then we’ll never be harmed or that somehow we can eliminate sexual violence by simply changing our clothes.”

snip

“When survivors come through, what we hear expressed often is validation because they’ll share with us: ‘This was my outfit. What’s hanging on this wall right now is what I was wearing,’ or ‘That’s my story. That story is just like what happened to me,’” Brockman said. “It’s not the clothing that causes sexual violence, it’s the person who causes harm. Being able to find that peace for survivors and that moment of awareness for communities is the real motivation behind the project.”


More Here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/powerful-art-exhibit-powerfully-answers-the-question-what-were-you-wearing_n_59baddd2e4b02da0e1405d2a


Rape victims come in all sizes and sex.

See the little girls sundress hanging on the wall, it breaks my heart.

[brer cat]

1. This is good and necessary. Victim blaming is simply hideous.

The little girl's dress sears me to my soul.

[sheshe2]

2. These exhibits have moved around to college campuses here.

Many other countries have done the same, brer.

Yes.

[Scrivener7]

3. Remember during the "gender wars" here? Remember the guy who said he had been conducting

self-defense classes in his town, and was here to give us the benefit of his experience.

Then proceeded to tell us that if we were going out at night, we should not wear revealing clothing or high heels and not walk down a street alone.

Then when we told him he was a sexist, ignorant asshole, he got all insulted and told us he was just trying to teach us how to make ourselves safe.

And a lot of posters jumped to his defense.

[sheshe2]

4. Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics

Millions of women in the United States have experienced rape.

As of 1998, an estimated 17.7 million American women had been victims of attempted or completed rape.5
Young women are especially at risk.

82% of all juvenile victims are female. 90% of adult rape victims are female.6
Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.3
Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely.



So many more depressing stats here:

https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence

..........................

Yes. I do remember. The stats and the clothing images I posted prove they were wrong.

[Scrivener7]

5. Good post and good OP.

[sheshe2]

6. Thank you my dear.

[multigraincracker]

7. The men that do this are ill, it is

not normal. Quarantined for life in jail to protect the innocent might be a good start. I doubt there is a cure.

[sheshe2]

10. Every 68 seconds.

[DET]

11. Actually, there kind of is...

Rapists could be given anti-androgen medication which destroys sex drive as the result of the almost complete suppression of testosterone for as long as the drugs are taken. These are the same drugs that men with metastatic prostate cancer take. That might make them think twice. Of course, that will never happen in our male dominated ‘boys will be boys’ society where medical castration is considered torture while rape is no big deal.

[multigraincracker]

12. Castration does not work. It's easy to find illegal

Testosterone on line. Once replaced, the sex drive returns. Amputation of the penis would be more effective. Cruel and unusual punishment. I’m afraid long jail sentences would work best. Lots, if not most become repeat offenders.

[niyad]

13. Rape is NOT about sex. It is about power and control, and hatred. If the penis

does not work, there are objects.

[ms liberty]

8. K&R n/t

[Solly Mack]

9. K&R

[niyad]

14. Thank you! Would you consider cross- posting this in Women's Rights And Issues?

That tiny little dress! Heartbreaking.

The stats you posted are a grim reminder of the pervasive, horrific, andvseemingly unchecked reality of this unending WAR ON WOMEN.

[sheshe2]

15. Been gone all day and just now saw your post.

I will cross post, niyad.

[niyad]

16. May one dare to hope that you were doing something fun?

Thank you for the cross-post.