Twitter user @Steenfox asks the question, "what were you wearing when you were assaulted?" and the answers are overwhelming.
Earlier on Wednesday, prolific Twitter user @Steenfox debated with a follower who argued that the way a woman is dressed can be a contributing factor to sexual assault.
"I was trying to make him understand that it absolutely does not make a difference, and that the responsibility does not lie on women," Fox said in an interview with The Root.
So when she saw a news report about a teenage boy who raped his grandmother, she had this comment:
60 yr old disabled grandmother raped by her 13 yr old grandson. I wonder what she had on to entice him. https://t.co/7if3sfPsOd class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> — Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
This inspired her to ask for something from her followers:
Can I ask a question? If there are any women on my TL who are victims of sexual assault & don't mind sharing something? — Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
What were you wearing when you're assaulted? Let me know if it's ok to RT your response. Thank you in advance for sharing. <3
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
The response was immediate and visceral, with hundreds of tweets coming in all night. Out of respect for the contributors, we've only included stories direct messaged to and manually retweeted by @Steenfox:
"Catholic school uniform the 1st year, shorts and t shirt for 2 months inside the church during day camp."
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
"I was wearing a tank top, jeans & flip flops. Now I wear loose clothing & a hat when I'm out alone. I don't want any attention to my body"
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
"I was wearing jeans, a flower shirt, a green hair bow and my new Nikes. I was five."
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
"Age 13, pajama pants a baggy tee. 4 different attackers."
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
"This one I didn't want to share on my page. But… One night after a drunken night with friends, my (then) husband came in and basically +"
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
"Forced himself on me. Removed my panties and I wasn't aroused and I said no. He didn't care. Removed my panties…spat on me…and did it."
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014
There are hundreds more upsetting, powerful stories on Steenfox's timeline. The volume of responses to this organic, spontaneous prompt is more than enough to disprove the myth that what a woman is wearing has anything to do with sexual predation. If anyone claims otherwise, they should be directed toward this thread.
You are all so brave. And the women who aren't sharing, you're brave too. Thank you for your courage. It's inspiring. Truly.
— Adele Dazeem (@steenfox) March 12, 2014