#WhyIWearDenim

“Oh baby, baby”

Why I Wear Denim

The last Wednesday in April is observed world-wide as “Denim Day.” Developed by the Peace Over Violence non-profit, Denim Day brings a nuanced understanding to sexual violence and educates us on how we can challenge old and harmful archetypes related to survivors of sexual assault and interpersonal violence.

It was the first quarter of the year 1999. For me growing up in Colorado, this was the year the Denver Broncos repeated as back-to-back NFL Super Bowl champions. As a figure skating fan, 1999 was the year Maria Butyrskaya of Russia won the World Championships over favorite Michelle Kwan of the United States. (I love me some Maria—and Michelle is an absolute LEGEND.) On the radio in 1999, 16-year-old Britney Spears sang (and later lip-synched) the Max Martin-penned “…Baby One More Time” to the number one slot on Billboard’s music charts. There was much ado about the first third of the music video for “…Baby One More Time” since Britney wore her midriff bare in a rebellious Catholic school uniform. Why do we obsess over women, their bodies, and what they choose to wear? With barely a second thought, why do we sexualize young women? Meanwhile, that same year, in 1999, a supreme court judge in Italy overturned the conviction of a rapist because that judge believed the accuser could not have been assaulted since her jeans were too tight and she must have had help getting out of her jeans—thus implying some level of consent during the assault. This is an extreme case of victim blaming as well as abuse of power. This rationale is absurd and problematic in SO many ways. The day after the exoneration, women members of Italian Parliament wore jeans to work the next day in solidarity with the survivor.

The policing of bodies of marginalized identities—and especially women—is often used as a means to abuse power over the most vulnerable. What someone wears does not give anyone consent to treat them a certain way or take advantage of them. We all need to respect personal boundaries.

Denim Day encourages those in the work force to wear denim to the office to bring awareness to sexual assault prevention. I remember when professionals could only wear denim/jeans to work on “Casual Fridays.” Yes, only once a week and even then only dark colored denim. Today, the two-plus years of the COVID-19 pandemic with people not getting “dressed-up” to go into the office coupled with evolving views of who or what defines professional dress, have made the office dress code much more relaxed and fluid in some settings. Regardless, I am happy to wear a pair of jeans on Denim Day to bring awareness to all the levels of victim blaming and survivor advocacy for a safer and more just society.