As part of End Violence Against Women International's (EVAWI) 2025 International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Forging New Pathways, we will be hosting an in person and virtual exhibit of What Were You Wearing. The in person exhibit will take place April 22 - 24, 2025 at the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, CA. The virtual exhibit will be hosted in this space.
Initially developed in 2014 by Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert and Jen Brockman, the "What Were You Wearing?" exhibits were inspired by my 2005 poem "What I Was Wearing." The exhibits aim to challenge the widespread misconception that clothing is a factor in sexual assault and to support survivors by emphasizing that they are not to blame for the violence they experienced.
Through the exhibits, survivors can come together in community to contribute their own stories and representations of the clothing they were wearing when they were assaulted. Like the poem, the exhibits seek to upend victim-blaming myths and raise awareness of the far-reaching and long-lasting impacts of sexual violence and the healing powers of empowering survivors to reclaim our own stories.
