Red My Lips - Against Sexual Assualt campaign

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and everyone is wearing red to speak out against sexual violence.

 

Red My Lips is an international non-profit organisation based out of the U.S. Annually, this global awareness campaign encourages supporters to wear red lipstick all throughout the month of April to demonstrate solidarity and support for survivors of sexual violence. Red My Lips is designed to raise visibility and awareness about the realities and prevalence of sexual violence, while combatting rape myths and victim-blaming.

The founder of Red My Lips, Danielle Tansino, started the organization in December 2012, after she was raped by a friend of her then housemate in April 2011, when she was 29. After she had filed a police report, and gone through a traumatic experience with the court system, she was told by a female district attorney that they would not prosecute because, “Jurors don’t like girls that drink.”

Danielle realized it was not ‘the system’ that fails victims of sexual violence, but everyone who suggested that the attack was a mere ‘misunderstanding’, or an attempt to frame it as a natural consequence of ‘not being careful enough’.

Most people continue to convince themselves that rape only happens to 'those girls' who 'weren't careful,' 'gave mixed signals,' or 'put themselves in a bad situation.' This tendency to deny, shame, or blame survivors who come forward only serves to convince other survivors that they are wise to keep quiet, giving those who perpetrate these crimes free reign to continue doing so without consequence.

Additionally, rape and sexual assault is frequently misunderstood as something provoked by uncontrollable sexual attraction or desire instead of what it is: an act of domination, entitlement, and violence.

This mentality was echoed in the infamous statement made by a Toronto police officer in 2011, when he said, "Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized". This statement triggered worldwide protests known as 'Slutwalks.'

Red My Lips combines a core message of the Slutwalk with the campaign format of MOvember to promote the idea that: The problem does not lie with tight or revealing clothes, make-up, or 'letting your guard down.'  The problem lies with one person's decision to overpower and violate the body and spirit of another. Until the global community acknowledges and addresses this reality, the worldwide pandemic of sexual violence will continue.

The Red My Lips campaign aims to transform the culture of sexual violence by educating, inspiring, and mobilising a global community to red their lips, raise their voices, and create real change in the world. Wearing red lipstick in April, or for men, a red shirt, allows supporters to speak out against these damaging myths and victim-blaming attitudes. It allows everyone to stand in solidarity with survivors and refuse to be invisible. Refuse to be silent.

The silence and myths surrounding sexual violence will be broken.

So show your support and Red My Lips.