A myth that sexual assault victims are sometimes at fault for what they were wearing when attacked is countered by the art installation “What were you wearing?” It is on display in the Barton County Courthouse lobby through Friday, Aug. 17, and will then be at the Great Bend Library through Aug. 24. The traveling exhibit will also be at Barton Community College in the upper level of the Student Union Sept. 7-24.

The show made its first debut in Great Bend last year thanks to Tanya Day, the outreach program coordinator at the Family Crisis Center of Great Bend and Title IX Coordinator Cheryl Brown at Barton Community College.

“What Were You Wearing?” originated from Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought (RESPECT) Program at the University of Arkansas in 2013. It was created by Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert.

The project was inspired by the poem “What I was wearing” by Dr. Mary Simmerling. Student-Survivors voluntarily contributed brief descriptions of what they were wearing when they experienced sexual violence. Outfits displayed in the installation are not the actual clothing worn by the survivors, but a visual representation of their stories.    

“Most of these (outfits) are so ordinary,” Brown said. “One of the myths about sexual assault is that women are blamed for it because of what they were wearing when they were attacked. It is an attempt to shift the burden of blame from the accused to the victim. It is rapists who cause rape, not clothes. Even if you had the shortest, tightest dress in the world, that dress cannot consent.”

The goal is to respond to the phrase “she was asking for it” by showing viewers how normal and average the clothing these victims wore when they were raped.

Another purpose is to dispel another myth: that only women can be raped. Men and children can be and are sexually assaulted every day. “What Were You Wearing?” will allow participants to reflect on the experiences of the survivors and the irrelevance of their outfits.

“We are glad to be able to bring this show back to Barton County,” Brown said. “Some of the stories are new this year,” she continued. “The original founders continue to gather actual stories from survivors here in Kansas and the Midwest. As you read the stories, you will notice almost all of rapes were committed by persons known to the survivors. Sometimes they are family members or family friends; others are acquaintances. This is borne out by national statistics that show 80-90 percent of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.”

The Family Crisis Center of Great Bend is a free confidential agency available to help survivors and victims through healing and moving forward. The Family Crisis Center is located across the street from the Barton County courthouse at 1924 Broadway Avenue, Great Bend. A 24-hour crisis line is also available at 866-792-1885.