BRUSSELS-A new art exhibition in Brussels has set up a display which recreates outfits worn by people on the day they were raped. The aim? To put an end to the myth that what a person chooses to wear is the cause of sexual violence.
The exhibition titled. “What were you wearing?” has been inspired by a project created by students at the University of Kansas.
The initiative was taken by prevention services worker Delphine Goossens who reached out to the original creators for permission to recreate it after she read about it last September. Goossens displayed the exhibition at the Molenbeek Maritime Community Centre in the Belgian capital, where she works.
Among the 18 outfits hanging at the exhibition are a child’s red dress, a pair of pyjamas, police attire and a man’s jeans and t-shirt.
Goossens told Euronews: “The belief that clothing or what someone’s wearing ‘causes’ rape is extremely damaging for survivors. This installation allows participants to see themselves reflected in not only the outfits but also in the experiences of the survivors.”
Along with the clothes displayed, there are small testimonies of the owners, explaining why they had been wearing what they were wearing when they were assaulted.
Among the ones on display is a My Little Pony t-shirt.
“My favorite t-shirt, but I don’t remember what pants I was wearing. I remember being so confused and just wanting to leave my brother’s room and go back to watching my cartoons,” said the testimony next to it.
“I had been working out, so shorts and a large t-shirt, I guess. I’m sure I smelled bad, I even remember thinking that… think about how bad I must smell. Because I needed to think about anything but what was happening to me,” said another, next to a t-shirt and shorts.
“It leaves a big impact to see all these clothes, that it can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” said Liesbet Verboven whose friend was assaulted and blamed herself for the incident, “I hope it can change the mindset of people that blame the victims of violence and rapes.”
“What Were You Wearing?” is set to remain on display until January 20th and Goossens hopes it will spread all over Europe to help dispel such pervasive myths regarding rape culture
