On April 24th, people across college campuses, across the nation, and all over the world will be participating in the 20th annual Denim Day. This social protest began with female parliament members in Italy, and since then has seen a tremendous increase in participants in all settings. From businesses, government offices, universities, and everyday communities, all uniting to protest against misconceptions surrounding consent, sexual violence, and rape. The organization Peace over Violence, formerly known as the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, led by Patricia Giggans, made Denim Day an annual event, with the first official rally in Los Angeles of April 1999. She was inspired when she saw the event that sparked the protests in the media, and knew she needed to take action against sexual violence myths.
(Photo Via Peace over Violence)
The event that sparked this movement took place in the late 1990s in Italy, where an 18 year old girl was raped by her 45 year old driving instructor. He threatened to kill her after the heinous act, and forced her to drive her car home. The girl told her parents, and they helped her press charges. He was eventually convicted of rape and sentenced to time in prison.
He appealed his case, which went all the way up to the Italian Supreme Court. There, all of his charges were overturned because the Chief Justice believed that, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.” The very next day, several women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work and carried signs that said,”Jeans: an alibi for rape.”
(Photo via The Wrangler)
While the Italian Supreme Court eventually overturned their ruling and 2008, thereby disbanding the so called “denim defense” used in this particular sexual violence case, the importance of the message of the event and the necessity to raise awareness about consent and sexual violence is still as prominent today as it was 20 years ago. With the ongoing Me Too movement, the recent confirmation of judge Kavanaugh, and the R. Kelly allegations, it is clear that people are still getting away with sexual harassment and violence much more frequently than people think. Furthermore, many people, especially in the court system, are not giving victims the credit they deserve and are often hesitant to believe their stories. Without movements like this, toxic rape culture and misconceptions about what it really means to give consent will persist, then women and men alike will continue to suffer at the hands of sexual predators and abusers.
*If you have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or violence, please visit RAIIN.org or call (800) 656-HOPE*