Wednesday April 23 will mark another annual Denim Day here at UW, an international campaign that raises awareness about sexual violence, supports survivors, and challenges victim-blaming attitudes. The first Denim Day took place in 1999 and has been observed each year since then.
UW will be celebrating Denim Day in 2025 on Wednesday and encourages people to wear denim to show solidarity and to challenge victim blaming. Jenna Hoobler, president and founder of Student Survivor Group here at UW shared a brief history of the origins of Denim Day, a controversial Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction due to the clothing the victim was wearing.
“In solidarity with the survivor a ton of women came forward and wore jeans and protested rape culture and victim blaming saying, you know, first of all, it’s stupid to think that just because you’re wearing jeans you can’t be raped, but also it was a bigger protest of victim blaming, and this idea that we should blame victims,” Hoobler said.
Student Survivor Group creates a safe community on campus connecting sexual violence survivors, and providing support and awareness.
“Student Survivor Group is a group for sexual violence survivors at UW,” Hoobler said. “Anybody can join if they are a sexual violence survivor, and we provide support and resources for them.”
Student Survivor Group provides a variety of opportunities and resources, all working together to create a community that supports anyone who has been impacted by sexual violence. Hoobler emphasized the importance of the group and the fact that sexual violence can impact anyone.
“Sexual assault is a lot more common than we think,” Hoobler said. “You know a survivor in your life. Whether you know that or not, there is a survivor in your life. There’s probably a survivor in every room you walk in.”
Groups such as Student Survivor Group here on campus are important to have anywhere, but specifically on college campuses, and specifically in areas such as Wyoming, according to Hoobler.
“You know we think that Wyoming has lower sexual assault rates, but I think that’s because people don’t report,” Hoobler said. “I think on any college campus having a survivor group is important because this age group is most affected by sexual assault. Especially in college, you’re at greater risk for sexual assault, so I think having a group like this is important for students. I think it’s also important to combat rape culture because you’re seeing a lot of that within social media. To have this community and to advocate is what every campus should have.”
Student Survivor Group provides many opportunities to get involved including coffee and community, yoga for survivors, and self-defense training classes. Student Survivor Group also works with organizations such as Green Dot and Safe Project to offer support and resources to survivors.
“It’s about supporting survivors, making sure that survivors have resources, and honestly celebrating survivors, they should be celebrated. It’s a hard feat to be a survivor and especially to be a public one, like me. It’s about supporting and uplifting those voices that have been impacted by trauma,” Hoobler said.
Hoobler expressed her gratitude for the University’s support of Denim Day and the Student Survivor Group, specifically thanking Bob Vines, Violence Prevention Coordinator, and Matt Gray, a Psychology professor here at UW.
“We continue to thrive each year. With all of the things going on at UW, it’s been hard, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done. I’m proud of the advocacy that we’ve done and the opportunities we’ve created for survivors,” Hoobler said.
