Content warning: The following story contains references to violence and sexual assault.
Denim Day occurs every year on the last Wednesday of April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month. People around the world wear jeans on this day to support survivors and raise awareness. This fashion statement is a visible protest against misconceptions surrounding sexual violence, and many showed their support throughout Los Angeles.
According to the CDC, over half of women and about one in three men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact. In the United States, one in five women have experienced completed or attempted rape.
The campaign started in 1999 after an Italian Supreme Court overturned a rapist’s conviction. The court claimed the victim was wearing tight jeans and therefore must have helped the attacker remove her jeans, which implied consent.
Following the verdict, women of the Italian parliament protested by wearing jeans to work. Protests spread to Los Angeles where Peace Over Violence began organizing the campaign nationally. California legislators joined them by wearing jeans on the steps of the California State Capitol building in Sacramento. Denim Day is now observed in over 100 countries.
“The importance of participating in this campaign is just kind of demonstrating in a simple way that you see people and you understand them,” said sophomore Gala Trubint who studies social science and communications. “You’re here for them in support of those who maybe won’t ever speak up about sexual assault they might have experienced.”
Patti Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, organized the first Denim Day in 1999. People gathered in a downtown Los Angeles park for a rally and wore jeans to stand in solidarity with the victim. The campaign uses the message: “There is no excuse and never an invitation to rape.”
Denim Day is the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign.
In 2016, USC became the first official college campus to host a Denim Day event with the campaign’s official fashion sponsor, GUESS, and Peace Over Violence.
This year, the Survivor Support Community at USC and Planned Parenthood Generation Action hosted an event on April 25. A violence prevention specialist from Peace Over Violence spoke at the event.