The Still Not Asking For It Project

The Still Not Asking For It Project is a rape culture awareness project created as a direct response to one horrific statistic: one in five women in the United States has been raped, and nearly half have experienced other forms of sexual violence in their lifetime. The Still Not Asking For It Project works to empower people at the individual level to start the conversation on sexual violence and to change the status quo of how the bullied, the bully and the bystander view and respond to harassment. This is done through t-shirts featuring a graphic of breasts with the words “Still Not Asking For It” printed beneath, with 25% of proceeds going towards nonprofits based in Colorado (and eventually nationally and internationally) that work to end sexual violence.

Part two of The Still Not Asking For It Project is a public-participation photography project. I worked with photographer Sarah Fosco to create a photo portfolio featuring me wearing the shirt while in various acts of “asking for it” to directly question at what points we interpret rape culture as acceptable. These acts include being passed out with a bottle of vodka, texting in a skirt with legs apart, lifting a shirt for Mardi Gras beads, and eating a banana like a penis. You can view the images here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6ooq5ckj48xxzdq/AAAf4J4C1dZIzl3SKLCqaFTAa?dl=0.

For every shirt sold, I ask the recipients to take a photograph wearing the shirt demonstrating what rape culture looks like to them and will compile all the photographs to create a public rape culture awareness art project.

Fondos becados por Boulder, CO (September 2015)