Content warning: This video contains stories of sexual assaults that may be triggering. Please be aware before viewing.
The What Were You Wearing Campaign was replicated at IUP after viewing several other universities' campaigns to help change the culture around sexual assault—placing blame on the victim based on the clothing they were wearing at the time of the assault. The goal of this project is to bring awareness to the issue of victim blaming and helps to dismantle the myths about sexual violence occurring due to what a person was wearing when the assault occurred.
This is a collaboration between the IUP Haven Project and IUP Fashion Merchandising Program. The stories were collected anonymously from IUP and the surrounding community, and then the Fashion Merchandising Program gathered clothing based on the descriptions in the submitted stories.
The Purpose of the Campaign
- Bring awareness to the issue of victim blaming, showing that it is never the victim's fault.
- Stop the myth that clothing has any impact on sexual assault, which can occur any time, to any gender, despite what a person is wearing (or not wearing).
No one ever asks to be sexually assaulted, and it can happen to anyone. This is a problem in our society that doesn't discriminate, and the hope is to bring awareness so that victims get the help and support they need instead of being blamed for something that they didn't cause. Sexual assault is serious, and we want people to know that IUP supports them and help is available.
