At the Child Abuse Prevention Seminar in April, we were excited to reveal a project that had been in process for months: the “What Were You Wearing?” clothing project. As far as we know, it is the first such project to exclusively feature clothing from those who were part of an Amish, Mennonite, or other plain-dressing community at the time of their assault.
Daniel Horst, a Lancaster County photographer, took photos of the project and has graciously allowed us to share them with you.
The Associated Press also produced a video and article about the clothing project as well.
What they wore: Amish Country exhibit spotlights sex abuse by Peter Smith
11 replies on ““What Were You Wearing” Clothing Project Photos”
deeply moving while also horrifying. and yes, not about the clothing, not about the church
you attend. it can happen everywhere, and does. very difficult to look at the tiny clothing
and imagine….
Looks like you’re cherry-picking and targeting a specific religious community to bolster an agenda. This is evil.
wow. you’re telling on yourself.
Yes, my thoughts exactly! Huge red flag!
I don’t think it is meant to demonized this church or belief I think its to highlight that the question what were you wearing should not be ask because it normally implies that the victim was wearing provocative clothing and there for asking for it so pointing out that sexuell assault happens no matter how provocative or not the clothing was and Amish girls are not dressed provocative in any way shape or form yet still end up victims of sexuell assault
James, I suggest you see our reply in the latest blog post:
https://abetterway.org/2022/09/11/why-do-we-need-the-clothing-project/
Did you not read or listen to the explanation behind THIS particular exhibit before judging & labeling the entire thing “EVIL”? If you had, you would know that it was a special display, & one of many similar displays from other abuse victims, from other denominations & institutions; bcuz apparently there’s no single faith, church, or institution that has a monopoly on such atrocities…yet. We all know by now what motivates a “Christian” to make these generalizations(like crying “get thee behind me Satan!”, or “EVIL!!”)& to strike back when the second their beloved institution is called out…& it’s NEVER from a good, true or pure place. No one’s attacking the Mennonite Church or the Amish(or the Baptist, Evangelical or Catholic Church), so chillax. This is about the victims of childhood sexual assault & abuse across all faiths & practices… so why on earth aren’t you defending THEM?!
What’s evil is the crime and horrific abuse that has happened to these people. That is what is evil! This happens in ALL “religious communities” and EVERYWHERE. But, the Amish, and MANY other “religious communities” put on a front of being holy…sometimes holier…and it is actually shocking to many to learn of the vast abuse that goes on. In addition, there is a HUGE amount of blame placed on the victims of rape, sexual assault and any type of abuse, really. That blame OFTEN comes from those in “religious communities.” So, re-framing the problem is important. The problem is sin. The problem is the perpetrator, the abuser giving in to his or her desires and fantasies and NOT CARING how it affects the person they are abusing. The problem is people blaming the victims. Articles could be written about ANY “religious community”. This is larger than an article. This is a project to bring awareness to a HUGE problem that is not talked about nearly enough…all while victims suffer in silence. The simple fact that you chimed in with the comment that you did is a red flag and is very telling of how you view these victims. If you see this as a problem, the “cherry-picking”, then please, do you own piece that is so extensive and include every single “religious community” so that you don’t appear to be “cherry-picking” yourself by leaving a group out. That might seem quite biased!
[…] people have looked at the “What Wear You Wearing?” Clothing Project, which displays the outfits of 13 different survivors of sexual abuse at the time they were abused, […]
James, come on man. You’re better than this.
[…] year ago, we unveiled the “What Were You Wearing?” clothing exhibit, featuring outfits from 13 sexual assault survivors from plain-dressing […]