An invitation to think

An invitation to think

The new Kerckhoff Art Gallery exhibit ‘this is not an invitation
to rape me’ uses thought-provoking images to challenge society’s
definitions of rape

By Rodney Tanaka

Daily Bruin Staff

Her hands caress her thighs. Her legs are spread apart and her
shorts leave little to the imagination. Her small T-shirt exposes a
well-toned midriff. The image contains a sentence written in simple
red letters: "this is not an invitation to rape me."

The new exhibit at the Kerckhoff Art Gallery confronts the
viewer with media-inspired images and potentially dangerous social
situations tagged with the same message. "this is not an invitation
to rape me" began as a public service campaign by Charles Hall.

Hall regarded rape as something that happened to other people
until a friend was attacked. Two years ago Hall’s friend left his
party with a stranger. They went back to his place, she told him to
stop, he tore off her clothes. She escaped before he could
penetrate her.

"My initial thought was to track this guy down and beat him up,
but the consequence of that is I go to jail and nothing really
happens," Hall says. "I decided to put my energy into something
else."

Hall channeled his energy toward a public awareness campaign
that features photographs, radio spots and television ads. In the
radio spots women describe their outfits, their bodies and their
attitudes. The television spots and photographs address provocative
images of women in the media such as those found in fashion
magazines. The stories and images are diverse, but the message is
unified: "this is not an invitation to rape me."

"You hear the phrase ‘Look how she’s dressed,’" Hall says. "So
we started from a fashion standpoint and then we looked at
circumstance."

The photographs also highlight other people at risk. A child
holds the hand of an adult as they walk down the street. A homeless
person carries a sign asking for help.

"We shifted the focus to vulnerability: homeless, elderly and
handicapped women and small children," Hall adds. "Then we looked
at the morally questionable: prostitutes, go-go dancers.

"I think the images are enticing and appealing to everybody, but
the campaign is really directed at heterosexual men who don’t
understand that there is a line," Hall says. "This shows them where
that line is."

Hall joined forces with the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults
Against Women (LACAAW), a nonprofit organization offering rape
prevention and intervention services, to bring his campaign to the
public. The exhibit is part of the Rape Awareness Week activities
on campus during the week of Feb. 12-16.

"College is a really important time when you’re becoming a part
of a community apart from your family," says LACAAW coordinator
Leigh Kaufman. "You’re really growing into your own self-identity.
It’s a pivotal time to teach human issues."

The organization deals with the issues of sexual assault,
domestic violence and child abuse on a daily basis. The commission
offers two counseling hotlines as well as self-defense classes and
medical and legal support, among other services. Hall’s campaign
addresses the problems that arise when dealing with rape.

"For whatever reason (rape victims) were made to feel like it
was their fault, whether it was someone telling them ‘You were
stupid to be walking alone at night’ or ‘What were you wearing?’"
Kaufman says. "The FBI estimates that 80% of all rapes are not
reported. I believe the biggest reason is the attitude toward being
victims of rape, that it is their fault."

A prostitute in fishnet stockings bends down towards a car
window offering her services. Again, the message on the image says
"this is not an invitation to rape me."

The woman depicted in this photograph receives money in exchange
for sex. Some people argue that these women are never victims of
rape.

"That is one of the easiest myths to perpetuate: That’s their
business so they can’t be raped," Kaufman says. "That’s not true
because rape is about violence, not about sex."

"That is the foundation of prevention work: starting from
people’s perceptions of why people are on the other end of violence
and if you get people talking you’re taking a step in the right
direction," Kaufman adds. "This is all about breaking the myths
around who is victimized and that no one deserves to be
victimized."

EXHIBIT: "this is not an invitation to rape me," by Charles Hall
and Friends, open through Friday Feb. 16. Admission is free. For
more info call UCLA: (310) 825-0611 or LACAAW: (213)
462-1281.Comments to [email protected]