Ladies, I know how difficult it is to consider wearing anything other than leggings. Just hear me out for a moment.
Ditch those worn out leggings for a whole day. That’s right, go a whole day wearing denim. Trust me, it’s for a great cause.
April is National Sexual Violence Awareness Month. One Wednesday during the month is devoted to a campaign known as Denim Day. This year Denim Day falls on April 27th.
Denim Day is a project created by Peace Over Violence, which is a prevention center established by feminist activists “dedicated to building heathy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic, and interpersonal violence,” according to the Peace Over Violence website.
The campaign was created after an 18-year-old girl was raped by her 45-year-old driving instructor in Italy in the ’90s. The perpetrator was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail. The man appealed the sentence, driving the case all the way up to the Italian Supreme court. Unfortunately, the case against the driving instructor was overturned and he was released. Why? The justice felt that since the victim was wearing a pair of tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove them, thereby implying consensual sex.
The next day, enraged women of the Italian Legislature came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. This action reached the United States and motivated the California Senate and Assembly to also protest by wearing jeans to work.
The news eventually spread throughout the U.S. and voila, Denim Day was born.
Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign, students, professionals, elected officials, and businesses are asked to make a social statement by wearing jeans as a way to raise public awareness and protest against the misunderstandings that surround sexual assault.
So ditching the leggings makes sense right? Grab your favorite pair of jeans, whether they be skinny or mom jeans and throw on a denim jacket while you’re at it. Let’s stand in solidarity to end sexual violence and victim blaming. Don’t forget to use hashtags #DENIMDAY AND #GEARUP on anything you post to connect with others via social media to spread the news.