What Were You Wearing | Office of Compliance and Equity Management

What Were You Wearing?

About

"What were you wearing?" is an easy question to ask. However, the cost of such a question is high for a survivor of sexual assault. This cost is paid not only through their dreaded answer, but through the burden of self-blame.

This installation asks viewers to recognize that it's never about the clothing, and the act of shedding the clothes can never provide enough peace or comfort to survivors. Abuse is not attached to the fabrics shed, but will become woven into the survivor's story. These exhibits ask observers to evaluate what enabled us as individuals or as a society to ever question, "What were you wearing?".

View Previous Submissions

"What Were You Wearing?" 2022 in-person exhibit.

View the 2022 online exhibit here.

View the 2021 online exhibit here.

View the 2020 online exhibit here.

Submission Details

The What Were You Wearing (WWYW) Exhibit will display replications of outfits from stories of current student, alumni, and current faculty/staff survivors on our What Were You Wearing 2022 Display Case Office of Compliance and Equity Management (OCEM) social media accounts and through our exhibit at the Kamerick Art Building.

If you are interested in sharing your story with our campus community, the survey will ask you for a description of your outfit and a short message about the outfit or your story to display with the replication. All information will remain anonymous.

Resources

Please practice self-care and contact the UNI Counseling Center at (319) 273-2676 for additional support.

For more information on this exhibit, contact OCEM at equity@uni.edu

What Were You Wearing Submission Form

The submission form for the exhibit is always open. Pieces will be used in next upcoming exhibition.

Name (Please leave blank if you wish to remain anonymous).

Email address (Please leave blank if you wish to remain anonymous).

Current Status at UNI. *

Please provide us with your story behind the articles of clothing that you are submitting. Share as much detail as you are comfortable with. *

Note: While we do not wish to limit the sharing of your story, as a part of the UNI campus, we are unable to display or re-post any explicit material such as profanity or names of individuals other then the submitter. If the submitter feels the inclusion of these details is vital to their story, they can still be included in the exhibit, but with the explicit material appropriately censored. If the material is not censored upon submission, the OCEM will censor as we see fit.

Would you like to provide the articles of clothing for us to put on display during the month of April? *

If no, please provide a brief description of the clothing.

Agreement (Please see below). *

Yes

By selecting yes, you consent to the University of Northern Iowa Office of Compliance and Equity Management displaying all information you have provided in this submission form.