The “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit on display at the Williamson House challenges the persistent myth that clothing can provoke sexual assault.
The installation, created by the university’s Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services, features recreations of outfits based on real stories shared by survivors of sexual assault.
Each outfit is displayed with a story, though all identities are kept confidential, and any identifying details are removed. The stories range in age and background, highlighting that sexual assault can affect anyone from children to college students and adults.
“It’s not just a stranger in the bushes,” said Jennifer O’Connell, director of SRVSS. “It shows that it happens to people at all different walks of life. It’s often someone they know, a family member or a partner.”
O’Connell had the idea to bring the exhibit to Kent State after learning about it at the University of Arkansas. The project was inspired by Mary Simmerling’s poem “What I Was Wearing.”
“There were two faculty members that created it on their campus, and then other campuses have since tried to recreate it,” O’Connell said. “We wanted to do something to start to break down some of the myths, and to help educate the community while honoring survivors and their stories.”
The process began with community members and students voluntarily submitting their experiences.
Submissions included descriptions of what happened and what the victims were wearing at the time. From there, Yvette Roberts, assistant director of SRVSS, coordinated the outfits.
“I usually do the shopping after [O’Connell] gives me the description of the outfits,” Roberts said. “We do our best to recreate it, down to making sure every piece is steamed and wrinkle-free.”
When clothing items are difficult to find, O’Connell often uses her artistic skills to craft pieces herself.
“For me, there’s also a piece of being able to put my art into honoring a survivor’s story,” she said. “If I can use my skills to make it look like what they described, that’s empowering them.”
SRVSS hosted a private pre-reception viewing for survivors who contributed to the exhibit.
Both O’Connell and Roberts explained that the intention behind the exhibit is to help survivors heal.
“My hope is that people see the display and realize that even though something bad happened, healing is possible,” Roberts said.
The “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit remains open at the Williamson House until the end of April.
SRVSS plans to expand the installation in future years to larger spaces on campus, making room for more survivor stories to be seen and heard.
“We put a lot of love and care into creating the display,” Roberts said. “People can tell when they walk in and read the stories.”
Sydney Craig is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].