Trigger Warning: The following content will discuss Sexual Assault
On April 29, people around the globe wore denim in honor of sexual assault survivors. The significance of denim comes from a harrowing Supreme Court case in Italy in which a woman was sexually assaulted and the perpetrator was convicted. Years later, the man convicted in the case, won an appeal to the court, stating they had consensual sex. The man was released by the Italian Supreme court under the grounds that because the woman was wearing tight jeans, she must’ve helped him remove them, insinuating consent. Women in Italian parliament were outraged by this outcome. In solidarity with the survivor, the women in Italian parliament showed up to the steps of the Supreme Court in jeans in protest. This story was shared internationally and eventually, the California Senate did the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. The executive director of the organization Peace over Violence saw this and believed that everyone ought to wear jeans to protest the many egregious reasons why Sexual Assault is not taken seriously. The first official Denim Day was held in Los Angeles in April 1999 that day has been held annually ever since.
North Seattle College took part in Denim Day by calling to students on social media to post themselves wearing jeans and tag it with the hashtag, #NSCDenimDay. This was in order to raise awareness and show support for survivors of sexual assault. The North Seattle College Student Leadership Instagram account in particular facilitated this event. They announced it on both their main Instagram feed as well as their Instagram story, cautioning viewers of their Instagram account that this event involves some triggering themes. Many faculty members and students posted images of themselves sporting denim blues in jackets, hats, and of course, jeans. They also shared many Instagram posts on their story with information about sexual assault awareness and the importance of consent. On April 29th, anyone following the North Seattle College Student Leadership Instagram account was flooded with messages saying “believe survivors” and validating the feelings of all survivors of sexual assault. It was a beautiful display of awareness, solidarity, and validation showing an immense amount of love and support for all the survivors out there.
To see the North Seattle College community come together in such a way was truly inspiring. Such a vast amount of love, support, and information was spread during such an unprecedented time and thus, a sense of strength and unity was felt with among all that participated. Whether it was participation by sending in a post to the North Seattle College Student Leadership Instagram account, sharing the stories and posts about it on personal Instagram accounts, or simple starting a discussion about Denim Day with your family and peers, this year’s Denim Day at North Seattle College was positively remarkable, and it’s exciting to see how it will be celebrated in the years to come.
For more info on denim day:
Emilia Valdez
Student Cabinet
NSC Student Leadership Blog 