Everything You Need to Know About Denim Day

You may not have known it when you put on your favorite pair of jeans this morning, but today is Denim Day, an important part of a campaign that began in 1999. As explained by Denim Day's founding organization, Peace Over Violence, the movement was started as an extension of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, in April.

As explained by Peace Over Violence, National Denim Day began as a protest in Italy. In 1992, Italian courts sentenced a 45-year-old man to jail for the rape of an 18-year-old girl. The accused appealed the conviction. His appeal went to the Italian Supreme Court, where they overturned the conviction and ruled in favor of his release. In a statement addressing the decision, the Italian Supreme Court said, "She had to help him remove them [jeans], and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex."

The response caused some members of the Italian Parliament to react in protest, with members choosing to wear jeans to work, The New York Times reported. The Parliament protest eventually inspired an international day of recognition, and in 1999, Peace Over Violence held the first Denim Day.

As the organization notes on its website, "Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual harassment, abuse, assault and rape. In this sexual violence prevention and education campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses, and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.

Communities throughout the United States are participating this Denim Day, including Milwaukee, Boise, Idaho, and students at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania.

If you wish to participate in your community's Denim Day events, Peace Over Violence has resources, including buttons and information, on organizing a day of solidarity.

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