For everyone who loves to wear their favorite jeans, here is another reason to wear them with pride. On April 28th put your jeans on and support Denim Day.

The Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992, when an 18-year old girl was raped by the 45-year old driving instructor who was taking her on her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.

She reported the rape and the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. He was then convicted of rape and sentenced to jail. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that they had consensual sex. The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the perpetrator was released. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.” (https://www.denimdayinfo.org/why-denim)

It is hard to imagine that a convicted rapist’s jail sentence was overturned based on the tightness of the jeans the victim was wearing. More than being just hard to imagine, it is disturbing and unacceptable. 

We have heard them all: their skirt was short, they drank too much, they flirted. These excuses are not, and never have been, an invitation to rape. So many people have not come forward after being sexually assaulted because they were afraid they would not be believed, or they were ashamed the rape was their fault. We are here to say WE BELIEVE YOU! IT IS NEVER YOUR FAULT. 

For 22 years Denim Day has been a powerful message, that no matter what, when, where or how…there is NEVER an invitation to Rape. Send a loud message, support survivors of sexual assault by wearing denim on Wednesday, April 28th.