What were you wearing, Lubbock?

April – June 2019

"What were you wearing, Lubbock?" is intended to combat a common rape myth that what someone is wearing causes them to be assaulted. The question "What were you wearing?" seems to be asked of every survivor when they decide to tell their story; this exhibition challenges viewers to engage with this question in an entirely new way.

This exhibition shows viewers in a powerful way that assault is never about clothing. Unfortunately, preventing sexual assault isn't that simple.

1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime (NSVRC). Each outfit you see was curated from an anonymous story from a survivor in Lubbock.

Inspired by Mary Simmerling's poem "What I Was Wearing" and other survivor installations, "What Were You Wearing, Lubbock?" challenges us to reflect on why we ask survivors "What were you wearing?" in the first place.

Exhibition sponsored by Texas Tech's Risk Intervention and Safety Education Department (RISE). For more information, contact us rise@ttu.edu or 806.742.2110.

This exhibition includes graphic descriptions of sexual assault, abuse, and rape. if you are a TTU student and have an experience you want to talk about, please reach out to the crisis helpline (806.742.5555) or RISE (806.742.2110).