As part of the 2025 End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Forging New Pathways, Write Where We Belong hosted an exhibit and installation of "What Were You Wearing?" This virtual exhibit is adapted from that in person exhibit. View the virtual exhibit here.
Initially developed in by Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert and Jen Brockman, the "What Were You Wearing?" exhibits were inspired by Mary Simmerling's 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.
