Every year, the Peace over Violence Campaign against sexual assault hosts National Denim Day on a Wednesday in April. Denim Day encourages everyone to wear denim to support sexual assault survivors and protest against misconceptions regarding victim blaming.
Denim Day originally started in 1999 after an Italian Supreme Court case. Judges made a decision to overturn a rape because the victim was wearing tight jeans during her attack, and the judges assumed that since she would have to help remove such tight clothing, she implied consent. This ruling perpetuates many harmful ideas of victim blaming, removing blame from the rapist and instead blaming the woman through her clothing choices and lack of prevention.
Female employees of the Italian Parliament protested the verdict by wearing jeans to work, and this movement spread through governments around the world, eventually reaching the California Senate and then the LA-based Peace over Violence company. Today, Denim Day is mainly associated with businesses and schools, and in recent years, there has been a significant increase in its presence on college campuses.
As Villanova students, we have a responsibility to join these peaceful protestors on Denim Day this year. We are fortunate to live on a relatively safe campus, but that does not mean that incidents do not happen. Additionally, for all incidents that are reported, there are many more that go unreported, with its victims scared behind fear of a ruined reputation from disbelief, or in some cases, threats of violence.
This Denim Day, we need to show support for the silent and heard survivors on our campus and all over the world. Denim Day 2023 is on Wednesday, April 26th, and participation is simple. All you have to do is wear a pair of jeans.
*Information received from Peace over Violence’s website: https://www.peaceoverviolence.org/denim-day#:~:text=For%20the%20past%2024%20years,of%20Sexual%20Violence%20Awareness%20Month.