Co-chairs of the Sexual Violence Action Committee, Tracy Rocca (left) and Kristine Cassie (right) at the 'What Were You Wearing?' survivor art installation in Lethbridge on October 19, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

By Joel Mendelson

Art installation aims to disproves myths around sexual assault

Oct 19, 2023 | 3:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Sexual Violence Action Committee (SVAC) is displaying the “What Were You Wearing?” survivor art installation.

The goal of the display is to disprove the myth that a victims’ clothing caused a sexual assault. The SVAC is comprised of committee members supporting evidence-based response and prevention related to sexual violence in southern Alberta.

The exhibit was created by Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert in Arkansas in 2013. It was inspired by Dr. Mary Simmerling’s poem What Was I Wearing.

Dr. Mary Simmerling’s poem ‘What Was I Wearing’, seen on display in Lethbridge on October 19, 2023. (Photo: LNN)

It displays a series of outfits, similar to those which the victims were wearing at the time they were assaulted, in order to demonstrate that the assault had nothing to do with their clothing.

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Tracy Rocca, the SVAC co-chair said, “The idea is to dispel rape myths and I encourage to look at the poem What Was I Wearing. It’s a powerful poem, and I think the point is if we could only end rape by changing our clothes, if only it was that simple.”

There is a wide variety of clothing and testimonies shown at the exhibit, ranging from work attire, religious garments, children’s clothing and more. The installation prompts the viewer to think about the connection humans have with clothing. The vast majority of people get dressed every single day, but the exhibit asks the viewer to imagine how challenging it is for someone who associates this action with pain and suffering.

Kristine Cassie, co-chair of the SVAC and CEO of the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre said, “We have to have some really open discussions about what’s really happening in our communities. We need to highlight what services are available for those people that have been victimized.”

Cassie added, “We need to really call on agencies to make sure we’re doing proper training around trauma, and how we respond to trauma so that we are truly trauma informed agencies, when we’re supporting people who have been victimized.”

According a study conducted by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Centres in 2020, 41 per cent of women, and 17 per cent of men in Alberta have experienced sexual assault.

In terms of what the community can do, Cassie said, “We need to do some broadscale work around active bystander engagement as well, so that people aren’t just sitting back and letting things happen, but we know how to have those conversations and how to intervene if something might be happening.”

Cassie added, “I would love to see that we do some work potentially with places that are serving alcohol. We still know that alcohol is a really big contributor to sexual violence in our community that a lot of times people will apply someone with a lot of alcohol to get them drunk enough so that they can violate them.”

The installation will be at the Sandman Hotel at 421 Mayor Magrath Drive South in Lethbridge. It will run on Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 20.

The exhibit will then be moved to Lethbridge City Hall to join the YWCA for its ‘Take Back the Night‘ community event, held as part of the Week Without Violence.

READ MORE: YWCA Lethbridge & District’s Week Without Violence 2023 focused on transit safety

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