April 26, 2023 is Denim Day

Denim Day is a day-long awareness campaign that allows us to honor survivors of sexual assault and start conversations about the dangers of victim-blaming.

Why denim? In 1992 an 18-year-old Italian girl was sexually assaulted by her driving instructor. While he was initially convicted of the crime and sent to prison, the ruling was later overturned by the Italian Supreme Court because the justices felt that because the victim wore tight jeans, she must have helped remove them thereby making the act consensual.

The following day the women of the Italian Legislature protested this decision by wearing jeans to work. As news of the decision spread, so did the protests. In 1999, Peace Over Violence, an agency in Los Angeles, CA established the first Denim Day in the US — a tradition that has grown and continued since.

Ways to Get Involved

• Wear denim or, if jeans are not an option in your work environment, wear a “Ask Me About Denim Day” sticker or denim ribbon on April 26, 2023.
• Start a conversation with your friends, family, and/or coworkers by sharing statistics and definitions surrounding the issues of sexual assault
• Host an awareness event or host a fundraising event at your work or within your community (email outreach@wcaboise.org)
• Print posters and postcards for Denim Day (also see materials request link below)
• Post photos, statistics, and info about local resources and share on social media with the hash tag #DenimDay and #WCABoise. Tag the WCA’s social media pages and we’ll share your photo as well!

Order your WCA Denim Day campaign materials here!

Please visit our video demonstration on YouTube to create your own Denim Day Ribbons. Don’t forget you can also print your own flyers and postcards above.

Questions? Contact outreach@wcaboise.org.