The fight against victim blaming through art

Last week, Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) premiered a gallery exhibit titled "What were you wearing." The sole purpose of this project is to end victim blaming and spread awareness about sexual assault. Questions such as "What were you wearing?" "Were you drinking?" "Did you scream?" "Did you fight back?" "Did you say no?" are all examples of victim blaming,suggesting that the victim played a role in the assault and should be held partially responsible.

To fight against victim blaming, the gallery displayed ten outfits of sexual assault survivors who shared their stories. I found myself completely numb walking through the exhibit on Friday afternoon while no one else was participating. These were not just stories, but accurate accounts of assaults these women lived through. I could imagine these women sitting down and telling their stories — tears and anger plastered on their faces having to relive the events of that day at senior prom, the backseat of a car or a dorm room. The men that assaulted these women were friends and boyfriends, people they trusted.

One particular account stood out to me: survivor number four. Her story recalled a horrific assault that happened on MSU’s campus. The words printed on the reflection of her clothing were sobering. She wrote, "I still refuse to wear this outfit because I'm scared something like this will happen again." The idea of this young woman's clothing being the reason she was assaulted is what SASA fights against. They argue that one’s clothing should be a personal reflection of self, not an invitation, because the only similarity between what these women were wearing was an unwanted male gaze.

Sexual assault is a grave issue on college campuses and on a national level. The MSU 2021 Annual Security Report recorded 12 cases of on-campus rape reports, 11 of which occurred in on-campus housing. According to the Brennan Center, a non-profit justice organization, it is predicted that over 80% of sexual assault cases go unreported for a variety of reasons. To put that into perspective, if all cases were reported, approximately 60 on-campus rape cases and 25 non-campus cases would be reported. The Voice Center at MSU is a great resource for victims of sexual assault. The center is available 24 hours a day via a call or text at (406) 994-7069.