What Were You Wearing? by Avni Rao

The “What Were You Wearing?” Survivor Art Installation, currently at Oregon State University, 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. Dr. Wyandt-Hiebert and Ms. Brockman were touched by the poem and sought ways to create a visual representation of the poem - this is their outcome. Students at the University of Arkansas voluntarily shared their experiences regarding their outfits when they experienced sexual assault. The descriptions given were recreated using donations from a thrift store.

The intent of this Installation was to outline the connection we all have with clothing and how it relates and gives so much power to the rape culture myth. Everyone wears clothing, if we put blame on what a person was wearing as a reason for such horrendous suffering, it taints our beliefs and classifies all common acts as dangerous. This exhibit hopes to inform the public that changing what someone was wearing is not the solution and that clothing was never the cause.

This exhibit was not the first to address this issue, here are some others, as taken from this link, https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/solidarity

Denim Day (1999) www.dvsac.org/denim-day

Jasmen Patheja (2004) https://www.jasmeenpatheja.com/blank-noise

Salamishah Tillet (2011) www.thenation.com/article/what-wear-slutwalk

Roy Banwell (2015) www.stillnotaskingforit.org Katherine Cambareri (2016) https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Katherine-Cambareri/B14412990F064225

Kansas National Guard (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX8weNniROs&list=PLd3A6kYKLSXFXqVJrS-6K619m0Gl WU77c