What Were You Wearing?

“What Were You Wearing?”

Student-Survivor Art Installation

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Join the experts for a panel discussion hosted by “Motlow MPowers,” sponsored by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), on April 27th from 12-1 pm.

The event will also be an opportunity to discuss the virtual installation of “What Were You Wearing” which runs from April 17th – 28th.

Zoom link for the panels: motlow.edu/mpoweraprilpanel Motlow partners within agencies in our community who provide advocacy and resources for those impacted by sexual assault. In support of Motlow’s continuing efforts to create a safe space for our campus, our partners provided displays in designated spaces for our Moore County, Fayetteville, McMinnville, and Smyrna locations. The “What Were You Wearing?” display can be emotionally triggering for people impacted by sexual assault. If you would like to speak with someone for support, please visit the below resources for additional information: Motlow Sexual Violence Prevention Page: https://www.motlow.edu/belong/safety/sexual-violence-prevention.html Call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC): https://www.nsvrc.org/saam

The “What Were You Wearing?” Student-Survivor Art Installation originated with the RESPECT Program at the University of Arkansas in 2013. Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert created the installation. The project was inspired by the copyrighted poem What I Was Wearing by Dr. Mary Simmerling.

On May 24, 2013, Dr. Wyandt-Hiebert and Jen Brockman attended a conference hosted by the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault in Little Rock, Ark. The conference packet included the poem. Deeply moved by it, Dr. Wyandt-Hiebert and Jen Brockman began to brainstorm ways to create a visual representation during a break at the conference.

In September 2013, the Connection Lounge in the Student Union at the University of Arkansas was reserved to host the “What Were You Wearing?” Student-Survivor Art Installation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April 2014. Throughout the year, student-survivors at the University of Arkansas voluntarily contributed brief descriptions of what they were wearing when they experienced sexual violence through personal interviews with Dr. Wyandt-Hiebert and Jen Brockman. These descriptions were used to recreate the outfits worn during the assaults.

The installation intends to create a tangible response to one of our most pervasive rape culture myths. The belief that clothing or what someone is wearing “causes” rape is extremely damaging for both survivors and our community. This installation allows participants to see themselves reflected in not only the outfits but also in the experiences of the survivors.

“Blue Pajamas. I wasn’t feeling well and he came over to ‘take care of me’.

I trusted him and he raped me.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“A Bohemian skirt and top. Nothing fancy. I’d worn that outfit a dozen times before. I always thought I was safe because I didn’t wear ‘those’ kinds of clothes. I guess my rapist didn’t get the memo.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Just cotton school dresses. My stepfather would sometimes molest me after school until my mom got home from work. Later, when my boyfriend raped me in college, I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. We had just come back from watching a football game.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Sweats, a shirt, and a ball cap.

We were just going to be hanging out as usual, drinking and watching a movie. I drank way too much and woke up with him on top of me.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“My favorite yellow shirt, but I don’t remember what pants I was wearing. I remember being so confused and just wanting to leave my brother’s room and go back to watching my cartoons.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“A black skirt and red sweater.

They were my roommate’s; she let me borrow them for my date. I was so excited, I really liked him. I thought he was a nice guy. But when I said slow down and cried, he didn’t stop.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“A t-shirt and cargos. It’s funny; no one has ever asked me that before.

They ask me if being raped means I’m gay or if I fought back or how I could ‘let this happen to me,’ but never about my clothes.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“I was wearing a sari. The same thing I wear most days. It was what I was comfortable in. It reminded me of home, of my family, of my identity.

Now it reminds me of him.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“My prom dress. Don’t know if that needs much more explanation…”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“White t-shirt and black basketball shorts. It was always the same outfit.

It was always after rec center league.

I trusted him. My mom trusted him.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Nike shorts and a concert sweatshirt.

Seems so normal. So every day. It was too, just any other day, except for this.

Except for what happened.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Jean shirt, jeans, and Toms.

Everyone seems so confused when I tell them this. Like they can’t understand what I am saying.

They can’t understand what I was wearing. It’s almost funny. Almost.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Jeans and an oversized tie dye shirt.

She was like a sister to me. There had never been anything like that between us. Then it was like a switch flipped in her and all of a sudden what I didn’t want didn’t matter.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“T-shirt and jeans. It happened three times, by three different people in my life. Each time I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Button up short sleeve shirt with blue jeans. He was my best friend’s boyfriend’s roommate. My friend told me it was okay to crash on their couch after we had all been drinking. She told me the roommate was ‘cool.’ She told me to just get over it.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“(1) Jeans and a t-shirt at 18-years old (2) Children’s dress by my cousin’s father at 5 years old (3) Dress - I thought I was safe with a woman but woke up to her raping me, too.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“I missed a couple days of work after it happened. When I told my boss, she asked me this question. I said, ‘A tshirt and jeans bitch, what do you wear to a basketball game?’

I walked out and never came back.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“A sun dress. Months later, my mother would stand in front of my closet and complain about how I never wore any of my dresses anymore. I was six years old.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“Army ACU’s and I was carrying a gun.

So much for that preventing anything” (Outfit inspired by a college student)

“My lifeguard uniform. She said, guys can’t be raped. She didn’t stop.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

I think sweats and a t-shirt. I went to his place to study. I couldn’t process what happened. He was a worship leader at his church.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

“I was wearing khaki shorts and a cotton tank top. He convinced me to come back to his house with him after a lame date. I was told by a friend to keep the clothes I was wearing in case I decided to report it. They are still in a bag hidden in my closet.”

(Outfit inspired by a college student)

Please visit the Motlow Sexual Assault Prevention Page for information on where to report, community support, and campus support services if you need help or assistance. https://www.motlow.edu/belong/safety/sexual-violence-prevention.html For additional details about Motlow’s MPower project, please visit https://www.motlow.edu/belong/mpower/index.html

“This project was supported by Award No. 2020-WA-AX-0028 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women. The opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication, conference agenda, or product, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Department of Justice.”

Motlow State is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Sections 504/ADA Institution | motlow.edu/nondiscrimination | MOT-1188-23