Art Confronts Victim Blaming

 CMU had its fourth annual “What Were You Wearing?” art installation. Monday and Tuesday they set up a wall of clothing for sexual assault survivors. This project was to counteract the myth that it was the sexual assault survivors’ fault because of the clothes they were wearing. This idea originated from the University of Arkansas in 2013 and so far it has been a success and tracked a lot of attention. It has gotten awareness on the topic of sexual assault survivors, and how they should never be blamed for what happened to them. Displaying their clothes at the art installation and sharing their stories with others can even help others feel more comfortable speaking about their own experiences if they haven’t yet. Palisade student Iris Rath spoke about this topic, “It’s amazing what they’re doing, everyone deserves to speak out about their story and although it may be uncomfortable for some people, this is a very important topic that needs light shed on it.” The art installation started four years ago at CMU, and in the future, they are hoping to get more people to come so they can shine a light on awareness for sexual assault victims. Although, I was not personally able to see the art installation able to see videos and pictures captured from many other schools that have done this, and to say it is heartbreaking is an understatement.