Have you ever heard about Denim Day?
Have you ever heard about Denim Day? No?
That is not a problem, let us talk about it!
On Wednesday 27th April 2022, it is INTERNATIONAL DENIM DAY. This iconic event in 2022 will be celebrating its 24th Anniversary. The first Denim Day was born in Los Angeles – California in 1999, through the Peace Over Violence Organisation.
Some questions might be pop in to your head at this moment such as: Why do we celebrate International Denim Day? How did this all start? What is this all about?
So let us share with you, a little bit of what we know about this important event.
Denim Day is an International Campaign that happens annually on a Wednesday in the month of April to highlight Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Denim Day isn't actually a celebration of jeans. In fact, Denim Day is a symbol of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
It all started back in 1999, by Patricia Giggans after an Italian Court case . The campaign began after a 1998 ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that, due to the fact that the victim wore very tight jeans, she must have assisted the perpetrator and helped him remove them, thus the act was consensual. Read more below….
Believe it or not, Denim Day was born out of this terrible crime and a subsequent court ruling which people felt was a scandal and resonated as a miscarriage of justice across the world.
Background history:
“The Denim Day story begins in Italy in 1992, when an 18-year-old girl was raped by the 45-year-old driving instructor who was taking her to her very first driving lesson. He took her to an isolated road, pulled her out of the car, removed her jeans and forcefully raped her.
She reports the rape and the perpetrator is arrested and prosecuted. He is then convicted of rape and sentenced to jail. Years later, he appealed the conviction claiming that they had consensual sex. The Italian Supreme Court overturned the conviction and the perpetrator was released in 1999. A statement from the Court argued that because the victim was wearing very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was not rape but consensual sex. This became known throughout Italy as the “jeans alibi.”
Enraged by the verdict, the women in the Italian Parliament launched a protest wearing jeans on the steps of the Supreme Court. This protest was picked up by international media which inspired the California Senate and Assembly to do the same on the steps of the Capitol in Sacramento. Patti Occhiuzzo Giggans, Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, saw this in the media and thought everyone should be wearing jeans to protest all of the myths about why women and girls are raped.” (Peace Over Violence)
Since than, wearing jeans on this day has become an international protest against destructive and inappropriate attitudes towards sexual violence.
“In 2008 the Italian Supreme Court finally overturned their findings meaning that there was no longer a "denim" defence to a charge of rape.
Nonetheless, fashion choices remain talking points in the fight against sexual violence as there are still many people who view revealing clothing or even tight jeans as provocative. It seems incredibly arcane but some people still believe that women who dress in a certain way are “asking for it”.
Thankfully most of the world is now more enlightened! Denim Day is proving to be a force for good. Look out for Denim Day each year and wear your favourite jeans to help change attitudes and to save more women from becoming victims of a denim defence.” (JeanStore- Denim Day)
Quality Brands Outlet cares about all our customers and Women out there, we want to embrace this cause, spread the Sexual Assault Awareness and the importance of the Denim Day.
Come and join us on this journey!
Love and warm Wishes,
Renata Sangaletti
The QBO Team
Online References:
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/denim-day
https://www.themudmag.com/amp/why-i-wear-denim-on-denim-day
https://www.uwosh.edu/care/denim-day/history-of-denim-day
https://www.denimdayinfo.org/why-denim
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/16/world/ruling-on-tight-jeans-and-rape-sets-off-anger-in-italy.html
https://careadvocate.ucsf.edu/events/denim-day-2022
https://jeanstore.co.uk/blogs/news/denim-day
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