Dressing for a cause is not unusual on the Deerfield Academy campus. Word spreads and trends catch on, though most people do not know what causes the dress down days. This was the case a few weeks ago when I excitedly threw on my bleached-bottom blue jeans, ready for the upcoming day. I went about my morning appreciating the soft comfort of the pants on my legs without a question or doubt of my intentions. My feelings came to a halt as I was stopped on the path by a woman who asked, “Why is it that you are all wearing denim today?” My thoughts then divagated quickly, as I couldn’t gather a response to the question. Why was I wearing jeans today? If not for the consolation of wearing comfortable clothing or the option to violate the school dress code, what was the purpose?
According to the Denim Day website, in the 1990s in Italy, an 18-year-old girl was forced out of the car during a driving lesson and raped by her instructor. When the case finally reached the Italian Supreme Court, the ruling was overturned, as the judges speculated that since she had been wearing tight jeans, she must have helped remove them, therefore implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian parliament wore denim to support the woman who had failed to receive justice after the assault. As news began to spread of this, more and more people worldwide wore denim in protest of the decision. This was the impetus of National Denim Day. Officially instated in Los Angeles in 1999, National Denim Day is a day to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual violence. The event takes place on the last Wednesday of April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and has happened across the globe since its introduction.
The initial purpose of wearing blue denim on that day was to show support for a particular victim, and it has now transformed into something much bigger: it is a sign of support and a symbol of abstinence for every victim of rape who has been failed by the judicial system. It is a way to come together as a community to discuss something that isn’t necessarily talked about a lot.
I have always been curious about the effectiveness of dressing in support of a cause. To learn more about this event’s connection to the importance of attire at the academy, I spoke with Margaret Melnik ’24, who encouraged students to participate in this event. Melnik explained that education and awareness were the goals of the day, saying, “Unfortunately, as a group of young people, we will all inevitably encounter sexual violence at one point or another. The ultimate objective … is to introduce support systems and to educate students on how to challenge it if it does happen.”
The dress code is an important part of the way that Deerfield Academy instructs students to conduct ourselves. It is a way to share communal experiences, to practice regard and elegance, while also accommodating the celebration of diversity in all aspects. Faculty are instructed to hold students accountable to this rule and to reprimand those who fail to do so. Consequently, by going against a rule emphasized so greatly, students created something so wonderfully powerful: an inspiring movement of hope, change, and community. As a group of young adults who are circumscribed to the boundaries of a small boarding school, there is only so much we can do to advocate for change. Therefore, it is imperative that we take the obligatory steps to educate ourselves on any given cause, show support, and push for an alternative reality.
Sexual violence is and will continue to be a grave crisis in our society. We are the face of the next generation. If we don’t talk about it, who else will? It is vital that each and every one of us is properly educated on the severity of this subject. The turnout of this event showed the support and respect we share together in this community. It shows the opportunities each of us as individuals have to impact something bigger than ourselves, and exhibits our ability to combat societal issues and strive to create change.
But in spite of all that, I initially had no idea why I was wearing denim. And perhaps that was the point all along: to make people think about an issue that they would not hav otherwise.