The United Nations is working with the civil rights organization, Rise to curate the “What You Were Wearing” exhibit. The exhibit showcases 103 outfits worn by sexual assault survivors, many of which were worn during the time of the attack.
“We can hold light up to this darkest corner of human experience and allow survivors at last to be seen, to be heard, to be believed and to be empowered,” said RISE Founder and CEO Amanda Nguyen.
The exhibit opened on July 11 as international dignitaries poured into the New York City headquarters. Many of them were stopped in their tracks by the sheer magnitude of the exhibit. The gravity of the issue staring right at them.
Each of the outfitted mannequins represents more than 10 million survivors across the world, with there being over 1 billion survivors of sexual assault. There are a plethora of diverse outfits on display— one can see how age, gender, culture and occasion play no role in how assaulters choose their victims.
The exhibit also includes the stories that go along with the outfits. Attendees can learn about the survivor’s stories on a deeper level and gain a better understanding of how awful the question of “what were you wearing” is.
“‘What were you wearing? Were you drinking, were you dancing, were you smiling too much?’ Those were the questions they asked me after spending hours in 2 hospital waiting rooms,” said author Jessica Long. “You might think that being assaulted was the worst thing that happened to me that night, but it wasn’t. The worst thing that happened to me was being betrayed by the very systems that are meant to support us and protect us… Every year, tens of millions of people experience exactly that betrayal.” Long is a survivor of assault, her own clothes were featured in the exhibit.
The goal of sharing these outfits and stories is to show that sexual assault can happen anywhere, to anyone, at anytime. Survivors are reclaiming what they can of the painful question, turning the blame onto those who hurt them while finding empowerment within themselves.
“These pieces of clothing represent everyday people just like me… Sexual assault is indiscriminate. It reaches every part of society.” said NASA Aerospace Engineer and assault survivor, Bryan Robles. This was the first time Robles spoke about his story publicly.
The “What You Were Wearing” exhibit will be on display until Aug. 31. You can visit it at the United Nations HQ on 46th St and 1st Ave.
