Why We Wear Denim
May 3, 2023
Wearing denim is normally a fashion choice, but on April 26th it is a statement. It is a statement protesting the destructive attitudes surrounding sexual assault in justice systems. Wearing denim shows survivors of sexual assault that they are not alone.
Denim day recognizes the efforts of women in Italian Parliament in 1999 who came to work in jeans to fight against the overturned guilty verdict of a man found guilty of rape. In this case, Justices felt that because the woman raped had on tight jeans, she needed to help remove them, which implied consent.
For 11 years, Assumption has observed Denim Day by allowing students, faculty, and staff to wear denim to school in solidarity with survivors. The event is sponsored by Green Dot Club, a student-lead club focused on preventing bullying, dating violence, and sexual assault by empowering bystanders.
Green Dot Officer Taylor Field said, “It is important for Assumption to participate in Denim Day because it shows women supporting other women. Sexual assault sadly is a big problem, and it affects women around the world. One small action, by wearing jeans shows we are in solidarity with those women.”