Stop Asking “What Were You Wearing?” to Rape Survivors: It’s Not Their Fault

Whose fault is it? Every rape survivor has been asked this question by someone or the other. But is the question actually to be asked to the survivor? Moral police and social judgment have many times pointed their fingers at the victim to declare that the appearance “invited” all the attention that led to the rape. The immoral act is justified merely by the time and the dress of the rape victim.

While surveying a rape, the main inquiry that issues is whether there was approval. Be that as it may, rape culture (the standardization of sexual savagery) has made individuals trust that what an injured individual wears does make a difference. As a result of rape culture, when attempting to make sense of why an assault happened, the definite answer — because the assaulter is an attacker — is frequently disregarded. Instead, what the injured individual wore, devoured, stated, and how they acted is addressed and examined.

Was it jeans? Were the leggings too tight? Was it a bodycon dress? Was the skirt too short? Did it have a revealing neckline? The questions seem to pile up just like the increasing rape cases.

While answering these horrendous questions after going through such a gruesome experience makes the survivor question oneself. Was it really my fault? -This is the question that hunts their wounded confidence.

The exhibition at the Center Communautaire Maritime in the Molenbeek locale of Brussels wishes to answer the question telling them all, no it’s not your fault.

The exhibition expects to advance mindfulness about sexual brutality. The show highlights outfits of those individuals who have been a rape survivor.  

The project is taken up in Brussels by some undergraduate students at the University of Kansas.

Delphine Goossens, a laborer in anticipation benefits in the Belgian capital, took the first declarations of the Kansas understudies, made an interpretation of them into Dutch and French, and accumulated bits of her and her collaborators' very own attire to speak to the outfits portrayed in the presentation, "What Were You Wearing?".

The exhibition displays 18 outfits worn by individuals that were worn by them when they were raped, alongside a short account from every one of the survivors.

The stories are tear-jerking and talked about the abuse they faced in the home and from society. It also had a police uniform stating that even the uniform of the guard could not stop the evil act from being done.

The clothes said that no matter the skin show, rape happened proving dress has nothing to do with rape.

We require displays like this now because every 1 out of 3 Americans are raped every 98 seconds.

The cycle of unfortunate casualty accusing begins when exploited people are grilled about their apparel, their liquor consumption, and their sexual history, removing the concentration from the main source of assault: rapists. 

There’s a need to have some more exhibitions like this. To say that it was not the fault of the rape survivor. To make things straight to the law-abiding body, the society and ask them to stop asking the question “What were you wearing”?