Lined along the wall of the University Student Union (USU), mannequins sit dressed in a variety of garments displaying the stories of the survivors that wore them. To begin the month of April, the Women’s Research and Resource Center (WRRC) unveiled the What Were You Wearing? exhibit in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness month.

What Were You Wearing? is an exhibit that was created by the non-profit organization Rise in an effort to highlight survivors and extinguish victim blaming. According to their website, the exhibit first debuted in December of 2021 representing 1.3 billion sexual violence survivors.

April Esquivel, a masters of social work intern at the WRRC, said the center first began discussing the possibility of hosting CSUN’s own display in December of 2024. When the spring semester began, the team outsourced across departments to obtain mannequins and clothing for the exhibit with the help of a tool kit provided by Rise.

“It really was like a collaborative effort between everybody at CSUN,” Esquivel said.

Esquivel worked closely with a licensed clinical social worker to create a survey asking the community about their own experience with sexual violence, including a question in which the participants described in detail the clothing they were wearing at the time. The questionnaire was later posted on the WRRC Instagram page and received five responses.

Using those responses, along with three other stories from Rise’s original 2021 display, CSUN’s first What Were You Wearing? exhibit was born.

“We had extra mannequins, and so we also wanted to include a bit of them,” Esquivel said, referring to the three additional stories provided by Rise. To Esquivel, this was a way to pay respect to the original showcase.

The exhibit currently sits alongside the USU printing station, capturing the attention of students passing by, many who were originally unaware of its nature.

CSUN freshman, Valarie Jauregui, entered the USU for the first time with a plan to relax between classes with friend Emelin Ramires. The two said they were “shocked” by the exhibit, which reminded them of being told in high school what clothing was appropriate to wear.

“I don’t see an issue with any of these; what they are wearing,” Jauregui said. “But regardless of what somebody’s wearing, that should not be the issue. It’s the person who’s doing it that’s the issue.”

The exhibit displayed eight stories from anonymous participants of all ages, including one who described experiencing sexual violence from the age of two. Another mannequin wearing a children’s princess costume held a sign that read, “I was 12, trying to live a good childhood.”

“I was kind of surprised seeing little girls,” said Ramires. “You know… it’s crazy that sometimes you don’t think that these things happen in the world and then suddenly – like – you see little girls and stuff like that happening.”

The What Were You Wearing? exhibit will remain at the USU Sol Center through the entirety of April. The WRRC has provided QR codes, which can be found next to the exhibit, that lead to resources for students, including CSUN Campus Care Advocates, University Counseling Services and RAINN, a national sexual assault hotline.

Jericah Abad, a senior nutrition major at CSUN, described the exhibit as heavy, explaining she felt sympathy for those who shared their stories.

“I think it’s a really important message to use the clothes that they were wearing,” said Abad. “To just kind of go against people saying, ‘Oh, what was she wearing?’ or, like, you know, ‘It’s how you dress.’”