On April 28, 2021, Denim Day was observed worldwide by people aiming to show their support for survivors of sexual assault. This day began as a protest in Italy in 1999, when the Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing tight jeans, concluding that she must have helped take them off– therefore giving consent. The movement began with just the women in the Italian Parliament showing their solidarity by wearing jeans, and evolved into “the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history” (denimdayinfo.org).

I don’t know what it was like in other communities across the world or in the United States, but Denim Day was advertised thoroughly at my school. Not only did I see countless Instagram stories by my classmates bringing attention to the event, but the student government even incorporated it into our school spirit week full of dress-up days. There were posters all over the halls, and reminders in the school newsletter.

There are about 1100 students in my high school. I saw 8 guys in denim throughout the entire day.

Sure, I don’t have the opportunity to see every single person in a school day and there were probably more than 8 total guys wearing jeans that day. But I was looking. The halls were filled with shoulder-to-shoulder students in between classes, and during lunch, the courtyard was packed with kids (since eating outside is encouraged due to the pandemic). I looked around all 5 classes I had on Wednesday as well, and only counted the 8.

As for girls? I wish I had some significant number to compare, but all I know for sure is that the overwhelming majority of non-men did wear denim. Like, a really overwhelming majority. In my 23-student physics class, every single girl except one was in denim– whether it was jeans, jean shorts, or a jean jacket. And not one of the boys. Not a single one. During lunch, I saw multiple huddles of girls walking together, all in jeans, right next to groups of guys that were all in sweats or shorts.

The way I see it, there are two possible reasons for this. Either somehow, only a minuscule percentage of the boys in my school heard about this event even though every girl did; or none of the guys recognized it to be as important to participate in as the other half of the population. I would guess that there was probably a mix of these two reasons, but considering all of the reminders on social media as well as the school halls, one of these options sure seems more likely than the other. This needs to be addressed.

Let’s set aside my second speculation for a second. There are obvious problems with boys not thinking it important enough for them to participate in a movement like Denim Day, and it was very disheartening to know that that was the case for at least some. But I’m more interested in what that first explanation would mean. I bet if I were to interrogate a random non-denim-wearing kid at my school, he would say it was because he didn’t know about the movement. Why? What made it so that so many girls got the memo but most guys didn’t? It’s completely and undeniably disproportional. Doesn’t it seem like there is a deeper problem?

I would just like to get to the bottom of this, because men either don’t understand the importance of anti-sexual assault movements, or they repel all information about it. Neither of those are okay. Ignorance can’t remain an excuse. I’m leaving my questions open because I honestly don’t know, but I am eager to hear if anybody might have any input. As always, feel free to send a message or comment.

For more information about Denim Day, check out www.denimdayinfo.org.