Denim Day Against Rape
Lynette Tyner observes Denim Day 2011
Denim Day is an international day to raise awareness of the crime of rape. It was observed April 27 in Los Angeles.
During that day, people were asked to wear jeans. Although jeans are everywhere, the fashion takes on a special significance on Denim Day. The event protests a 1997 Italian court case where a judge told a rape victim that she bore responsibility for being raped because she was wearing tight jeans. Female members of Italy’s parliament wore jeans to parliament to protest the decision. Since 1999, the day has been observed by Americans.
Lynette Tyner hosted a Denim Day event at her fashion studio near downtown Los Angeles. In the past Tyner crafted gowns made out of denim. For this day, she made a tote bag out of denim to raise funds for rape prevention. “People can relate to denim,” Tyner said. “But for a lot of people rape is a ’hush-hush’ thing.” She hoped the ubiquitous fabric would continue to raise awareness well past the next Denim Day in 2012.
