04/29/2026
📣 LAST DAY! 📣
On view through today, April 22, in the Jailhouse Gallery Helena at The Myrna Loy, "what were you wearing?" is an exhibit highlighting the diverse experiences of survivors and a clarion call to end victim-blaming for sexual violence.
The exhibit features 15 outfits recreated from stories shared by real sexual assault survivors. A Marine Corps uniform, a hospital gown, and spiderman pajamas are just a few examples of what survivors from our own community were wearing when they were sexually assaulted. Some were assaulted by adults they trusted, some repeatedly by their spouses, some by acquaintances. None of them invited an attack with the clothes they were wearing. Clothing doesn’t cause an attack; only perpetrators do.
Each of the 15 outfits in this exhibit represents about 3,000 survivors in our tri-county area, where we can expect 31,700-45,000 of our 95,000+ residents to have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.
We believe that boldly showing what survivors were wearing can open minds and shift attitudes about what sexual assault looks like.
Visit the thefriendshipcenter.org/wwyw to learn more and preview the outfits and stories.
📷 by Wandering Albatross Photography
