History Of Denim Day

It's Denim day👖 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐚𝐲 (April 29, 2020) is an event in which people are encouraged to wear jeans (denim) to raise awareness of rape and sexual assault.

The following article throws more light on this day:

Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. An 18-year old girl is picked up by her married 45-year old driving instructor for her very first lesson. He takes her to an isolated road, pulls her out of the car, wrestles her out of one leg of her jeans and forcefully rapes her. Threatened with death if she tells anyone, he makes her drive the car home. Later that night she tells her parents, and they help and support her to press charges. The perpetrator gets arrested and is prosecuted. He is convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.

He appeals the sentence. The case makes it’s all the way to the Italian Supreme Court. Within a matter of days the case against the driving instructor is overturned, dismissed, and the perpetrator released. In a statement by the Chief Judge, he argued, “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”

Enraged by the verdict, within a matter of hours the women in the Italian Parliament launched into immediate action and protested by wearing jeans to work. This call to action motivated and emboldened the California Senate and Assembly to do the same.  People all over the world were outraged, and wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes and myths surrounding sexual assault.

A Public Health and Safety Issue That Affects All of Us

Sexual violence is difficult to discuss and often goes unmentioned. But 1 in 5 American women have been raped at some time in their lives — and 1 in 71 American men. Nearly 1 in 2 American women and 1 in 5 men have experienced other forms of sexual violence, including forced penetration, sexual coercion and unwanted sexual contact. And young people are at the highest risk: it is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys have had an unwanted or abusive sexual experience in childhood.

So, now you know the importance of denim day so, grab some uber cool t-shirts to flaunt with your denims and raise the awareness.