Shirts hanging in the Tech Pride Room on April 3 provided visual messages about violence against women during the Clothesline Project sponsored by the TTU Women’s Center.
“I think one thing as college students, as people in this semi-rural community, we don’t think it happens in the area we live,” Amy Bosley, a student involved in the TTU Women’s Center, said.
The project’s purpose is to make people aware of victims of violence and to help them heal.
“Victims say that making shirts help them move to being a survivor from victim,” Bosley said.
The Women’s Center assigned a color code to represent different victims.
- White represents those who died due to violence.
- Yellow or beige represents those battered or assaulted.
- Red, pink or orange represents sexual assault survivors.
- Blue or green represents sexual abuse survivors.
- Purple or lavender represents women attacked because of their sexual orientation.
“A few shirts were black to thank officers for helping them getting out of their domestic violence situation,” she said.
An infant shirt with the words “I was this big,” stood out this year, Bosley said.
The shirts’ message reflected different feelings.
“The women and other people that make these shirts are in different stages of their healing process. Some are more graphic while others are more positive,” Bosley said.
Around 150 people attended this year’s event, Bosley said.
“People walk in and look around and say things like, ‘I had no idea.’ I think the clothesline project is that visibility and helps heal the people that it happens to,” Bosley said.
