Newsletter

Justice in Jeans: CIF, Green Apple, and SMART host this year’s Denim Day

By Eva Jo McIlraith

May 12, 2025

Since 1999, the last Wednesday of April has been a day of visual solidarity and support following a controversial ruling from the Italian Supreme Court that overturned a rape conviction. The courts had refused to protect the survivor on the basis that the woman’s tight jeans implied her consent, which the justices claimed she would’ve had to help remove. Outraged by the implication that clothing could justify assault, the women of the Italian parliament wore jeans in protest. This act of protest sparked an international movement from which Denim Day was born. Today, people across the world wear denim to challenge harmful myths about sexual violence, raise awareness, and stand with survivors.

This year, Hamilton’s Center for Intersectional Feminism (CIF), Green Apple, and Sexual Misconduct and Assault Reform Team (SMART) hosted its annual Denim Day celebration with a day of crafting, upcycling, and repurposing. “Crafting has historically been used as a tool of community building between women for centuries,” says Editor and Chief of Green Apple Eliana Mannes ‘26, “nurturing and creating together is a way to resist the patriarchy, which is the root of a lot of this violence, and is a way to support women and survivors of violence.” 

Co Chair of CIF Claire Tzouros ‘25 reflected, “It’s especially cool that these three organizations can collaborate together, since visual solidarity is really important . . . and creative outlets can be healing, it can also be a celebration.” Iris Miller-Bottoms ‘27, the Co-President of SMART agreed, saying “it's nice to have something that's about taking a step back and taking a break and being thoughtful.”

A major struggle for survivors around the globe is the victim blaming they face. CIF, Green Apple, and SMART took on this particular challenge in their Denim Day event, choosing to focus on redirecting blame onto perpetrators of violence rather than survivors. Miller-Bottoms said on supporting survivors, “the best thing that we can do for survivors is to hold people accountable and be kind . . ultimately it comes down to interpersonal interactions, being mindful, prioritizing taking care of your friends, and calling people out.”

The choice to upcycle denim in particular sends an intentional message about the role clothing plays. SMART Co-President Daniel Lipson said, “Denim day is about spreading the message that clothing does not dictate consent, and standing in solidarity with survivors on campus and the broader community in a visible manner.” Just as the women of the Italian parliament did, wearing denim in support of survivors builds an unmistakable community of supporters that support both a person’s right to choose what to wear without fear of violence, as well as a survivor’s freedom from carrying blame from their assault.