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Sydney Huyge -
My project is a rebuttal to victim blaming of women. “What was she wearing?” is a question that victims of sexual assault are often asked. This is a question used to blame women for their assault by saying that they should have been covered up more. Men and law enforcement are some of the biggest peddlers of this myth that women only are assaulted when they’re wearing “slutty” outfits. This myth is so harmful as it puts blame on the victims and dismisses the offenders who actually commit the assaults. Even if a woman is wearing nothing at all, it’s still not an invitation to be attacked and traumatized. Clothing is not consent, actions are not consent. Agreeing to sex verbally is the only reason two people should be engaging in it. This myth of “clothes = consent” needs to be dispelled along with other harmful rhetoric about sexual assault.
In my project, I demonstrate that no matter what a woman wears, rapes have always occurred. Clothing is not a deterrent or catalyst for rape. Stories about slave women that were assaulted by their slave masters and forced to have their children were impactful and disturbing to hear about. Stories like Recy Taylor’s attack in 1944 are horrible, but people like her were pioneers for the #MeToo movement. Speaking up about assault is so brave, because you are bound to face backlash, violence, and may never get justice. Hearing stories about women in history who were assaulted and also hearing stories from people I know is the reason I think this subject is so important. Every woman I know has a story about being groped, catcalled, berated, threatened and worse. This is not just an issue historically but today as well.
I demonstrate this rebuttal by showing what clothes women have worn throughout history. I used images from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. They have a fashion history timeline that spans through several centuries and up to the current day. This timeline provided me with information and examples of the clothing women wore. I formatted my project in a collage style organized into a timeline. With the images of clothing, I found articles online about assaults and rapes in these time periods and put them behind the images. This creates a juxtaposition to show that these assaults were occurring whether or not a woman was dressed a certain way. We need to stop putting the blame on victims because it is never their fault.
This project was disturbing to do sometimes. Sorting through centuries of rape stories was pretty bleak, and it feels terrifying to know it’s still happening and likely will never stop. The good thing about today’s society is that women are more willing to speak up and come forward. It’s sad they have to do this at all, but by creating awareness, educating, and exposing predators, we are closer to a world where rape is unacceptable and is fully punishable by law. I enjoyed the collage part of this and looking through fashion history.
Sources:
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1865-2/
https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/about-timeline/
https://katiekoestner.com/print/
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1992/07/01/447392.html?pageNumber=1
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