What Were You Wearing Exhibit

"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 the 2024 online exhibit 
‌View the 2023 online exhibit 
‌View the 2022 online exhibit
Office of Civil Rights Compliance

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 Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC) 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 OCRC at civilrights@uni.edu.

What Were You Wearing Submission Form

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

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 than 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, OCRC will censor as we see fit.
If you have said that you wish to remain anonymous above OCRC will keep the post anonymous on OCRC’s social media platforms as well.
If you have said that you wish to remain anonymous above, OCRC will keep the submission anonymous when shared with media outlets.
By selecting yes, you consent to the University of Northern Iowa Office of Civil Rights Compliance displaying all information you have provided in this submission form.