This Is Not An Invitation To Rape Me
After my 30th birthday party, a dear friend was sexually assaulted by someone she met at the celebration.
What started as an innocent decision by a group of friends to get a ride back to Brooklyn, ended with a woman at stranger’s home, coupled off in the basement, with a person she just met, who didn’t take no for an answer.
After escaping the situation, she was afraid to go to the police and file a complaint. She didn’t think they would believe her since she had been drinking, left with the person and made out with them.
I felt responsible and compelled to do something. So I attacked the perception, when a woman is raped, she asked for it, deserved it, or wanted it.
“This Is Not An Invitation To Rape Me" began as an artistic response to the sexual assault of a dear friend. With the help of Jay Chiat, Eric McClellan, Julia Leach, Christie Hefner, Mark Coppos, Ellen Von Unwerth, Daniella Federicci, Moshe Brahka, Mario De Lopez, Walter Chin, Howard Schatz, Tony Ward, Julie Cerise, Karen Pfaff, Susan Sorenson, Patti Giggans and many others, what started as a guerrilla sticker attack on New York City, became a multi-media message heard around the world, on behalf of all women.
Posters were made with images from fashion and lifestyle magazines reflecting excuses provided for assaults.
Attire, relationships, situations and behaviour were the most common.
The work was featured in Vibe, Playboy, French Photo, USA Today, Der Spiegel, Elle, Paper, George and the LA Times. When it hit Los Angeles, it made it to the desk of Professor Susan Sorenson who found me and introduced the work to the LA Commission of Assaults Against Women (now Peace Over Violence.)
They adopted the campaign. PSA’s were filmed, an exhibition was staged at UCLA and Cal State Northridge featured the work in their Freshman orientation seminars. Cal Casa ran the work throughout California.
When the internet came to life, the work was discovered, shared and critiqued. thanks to websites like Feministing.com, Thecurvature.com, Protectthehuman.com and numerous blogs. The work has been used in Cal State Northridge's Freshman Orientation Program and exhibited at U.C.L.A's Kershkoff Hall Gallery and Kansas University.
It was donated to Rape Crisis Scotland and eventually made its way to the campus of the University of Pennsylvania as a response to hook up culture and date rape. The University of Pennsylvania exhibition represented the first time the idea was interpreted and expressed by fine artists and members of the school's student body.
How many assaults this campaign has prevented is unknown.
However, it sparked debate, discussion, enlightenment, support and community wherever it was shown.
