April marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and St. George’s DOVE Center partnered with Utah Tech University and the Student Resource Center to display the “What Were You Wearing?” exhibit, which aims to raise awareness about sexual assault and the stigma surrounding it.
Students and faculty who entered the Holland Centennial Commons March 28 were greeted with a collection of outfits hanging from wheeled display boards, which helped tell the stories of 10 anonymous sexual assault survivors.
Hailey Henstrom is the rape and sexual assault education advocate for the DOVE Center, and was responsible for setting up this year’s exhibit.
“For my perspective working as an on-campus advocate for Utah Tech… I think there’s also value in holding it at the university for that reason, to raise awareness to students and help them understand the resources that are available to them,” Henstrom said.
Each survivor wrote a short blurb describing what they were wearing at the time they were sexually assaulted, which was displayed next to the clothes. This year’s exhibit showed 10 recreations of outfits raging from a T-shirt and sweatpants to a graduation cap and gown. The display intended to dispel the misconception that sexual assault survivors elicited the attack because of what they were wearing.
Students passing through Holland’s main lobby have had the chance to stop and view the exhibit, one of whom was Allie Snook, a junior theater major from Corona, California.
“I think it’s devastating, but it’s completely necessary,” she said when asked about the exhibit’s effectiveness. “It’s not something that’s easy to look at. It’s just important to raise awareness about it.”
Henstrom said they receive stories from survivors through the exhibit itself. There was a QR code posted at the main entrance for survivors to anonymously share their stories, and a few of the stories on display came from last year’s submissions.
“I think a big goal of the exhibit is to amplify survivor voices and provide a space for people to tell their story,” Henstrom said. “It’s still a very impactful way for some people to share their story and feel heard in that.”
The DOVE Center had a table with business cards that had their 24/7 hotline as well as a table for anyone to write letters of encouragement and love that will be given to survivors the center aims to help. They were also giving away teal ribbon stickers, as teal is the official color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Liberty Widmer, a freshman marriage and family therapy major from Highland, expressed similar sentiments to Snook when she viewed the exhibit.
“I think it just helps people not feel alone and be able to share their stories,” Widmer said. “[It helps] people say, ‘Hey, I am not a victim. I am a survivor.’”
The display will be up until April 11, and Henstrom invites students to explore other events the DOVE Center is hosting during April to continue raising awareness, including a photo scavenger hunt and a prize basket giveaway. Information can be found here or at the exhibit in the Holland.
The DOVE Center’s crisis helpline and Utah Tech’s Title IX office are resources to find help and report incidences of sexual assault.
