How Can Wearing Jeans Protest Sexual Assault?

by Roxann MtJoy · 2010-04-20 18:53:00 UTC
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Break out your jeans because April 21, 2010 is the 11th Annual Denim Day. Denim Day is part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The event is sponsored by Peace Over Violence, which encourages people to use the occasion to "make a social statement with their fashion statement" by wearing jeans as a "visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault."

Why jeans? The answer may shock you. In Italy in 1992, a teenage girl was raped by her 45-year old driving instructor. Even though her attacker threatened to kill her if she said anything, the victim reported the crime to the police. Her rapist was arrested, prosecuted, and found guilty. Undeterred, he appealed his conviction and, incredibly, he wins.  See, according to the Chief Judge, “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.”

Take a moment to let that sink in. The judge overlooked the evidence and the death threats. He was either unaware or simply didn't care about law enforcement's standard warning against attempting to fight a physically dominant rapist, lest it enrage him further. Instead, he relied on the archaic "she was asking for it" rape defense and freed a sexual predator. Within hours of the granted appeal, women in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to work in protest and a symbol of sexual assault awareness was born.

If you want to participate in Denim Day, please register so your efforts can be counted. Next, spread the word to your friends, family, and co-workers so that they may get in on the action. Join Peace Over Violence on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. If you are able, think about donating to Dollars for Denim. Finally, break out your favorite pair of jeans and get ready to spread awareness about sexual assault and prevention.

Photo credit: bluryee

Roxann MtJoy is a freelance writer who previously worked as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter. She is currently attending graduate school for theater in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
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