Devin Boulanger, Story Editor
Graphic by Devin Boulanger
When I first brought up Denim Day to one of my friends, they asked me, “Oh, is that a fashion trend or something?”
Denim Day is not a fashion trend, but an international event that most people aren’t aware of. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until this year. So, in hopes of educating a few more people, I decided to write about Denim Day and the importance of spreading awareness about sexual assault.
What is Denim Day?
Denim Day, as it is known today, was started in 1999 by Patricia Giggans, the Executive Director of Peace Over Violence. However, the story starts way before that. In the early 1990s, a young woman in Italy (around the age of 18) spoke up about how her driving instructor (age 45) had sexually assaulted her. The instructor told her to drive to an isolated area, and following the incident, threatened violence if she told anyone.
Naturally, the young woman told her parents, and the instructor was convicted and sentenced to jail. Justice was served. Now, that sounds like the end of the story, right?
However, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. The convicted instructor appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Cassation, and in 1998, the original verdict was overturned. And what was the reason? The young woman was wearing skinny jeans. The line of thought was that since the woman was wearing skinny jeans, she must have helped take them off, thereby demonstrating consent.
This became known as the “Jeans alibi,” or an excuse for nonconsensual sex. Members of the Italian Parliament were outraged and immediately protested. (Note: No male members participated in this protest.) This protest was later adapted by Giggans, leading to the denim day we know now.
Finally, the “jeans alibi” was overturned 20 years later, in 2008.
Why is it Important?
Now, the big question: why is it important to acknowledge days such as Denim Day and the cause it supports? As I mentioned before, many people don’t know about Denim Day, and a lot of people are also misinformed about sexual assault. Sophomore Maeve Driscoll expanded on this idea, “Denim Day is important because it’s necessary to bring awareness so that situations like it do not occur in the future.”
In the US, 20% of women experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes, and 24.8% of men experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Even crazier than that is the fact that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experienced this rape or attempted rape between the ages of 11 and 17. Those are middle school and high school students. This is truly why Denim Day, and also Sexual Assault Awareness month in April, need to be acknowledged.
Furthermore, earlier, when I detailed the history of Denim Day, I said that “naturally” the young woman told her parents. Sadly though, this is far from the truth. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), only 1 in 3 victims report sexual assault to law enforcement. The reasons for this vary. Some victims, like the young woman in the Denim Day case, fear violent retaliation if they tell. Others felt like the police or law enforcement wouldn’t do anything, and others sadly viewed themselves as at fault.
With Denim Day, we can help break down the stigmas surrounding sexual assault. This means bringing awareness so that the other ⅔ victims of unreported cases feel okay with contacting law enforcement or other organizations for help.
What can people do to help locally?
Besides simply wearing denim to raise awareness, there are other ways to get involved to prevent rape and other forms of sexual assault in your community. One example of this is to get involved with organizations that promote awareness and help respond to sexual assault cases.
The Rowan Center, which helps educate people throughout Fairfield County, is an amazing resource and organization. A key element that the Rowan Center has is a student led advisory board, which meets monthly to discuss sexual assault topics. “Spreading awareness about organizations like the Rowan Center is really important. It reminds us that we have these resources around us if we or someone we know needs help,” said Maeve, who is also a member of the SAB board. “Just because a topic is sensitive doesn’t mean that we should be brushing it under the rug.”
And finally, I would highly encourage everyone to wear denim on Wednesday, April 29, to show your solidarity. Together we can make a difference by simply wearing a pair of jeans.
