My beautiful friends, Lori Krout and Dwayne Glapion, are the co-founders of this event which raises Sexual Assault awareness and celebrates survivors. I had no idea what I was really being apart of until a couple of weeks ago. This fundraiser was no joke. This year's fashion show was raising money for the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, which provides legal counsel for sexual assault victims, and Dwayne was going to market this event like crazy.
Arc Thrift Stores donated denim to the event and then Colorado designers cut them up and created their own designs. My participation in the event was to model one of these designers designs. Sounds simple enough, right? The catch here, is that all the models were survivors of sexual assault. This still doesn't sound too difficult right? It's not, I guess, if your family is aware that you are a survivor; but what if they aren't aware? For me, this was the case. I had volunteered to be a model, knowing you must be a survivor; but I had not yet told my family of my story from 20 years ago. This was the story that was the story I knew they needed to know about before Dwayne started advertising the show. My family is on Facebook and I was going to be featured in an ad as a model and survivor. I didn't want them to be caught off guard, so just days before my ad was released, I made one of the hardest phone calls of my life. I called and told my grandmother about what had happened to me and a few days later, I sat my parents down and told them. WOW! This secret I had been carrying around for 20 years was finally out and I felt the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know if I would have told my family had it not been for my involvement in this wonderful event. Thank you Lori and Dwayne for encouraging, supporting, lifting up and celebrating myself and all the other survivors.
The fashion show is held each year on the last Wednesday in April in conjunction with the World wide Denim Day. In the 90's there was a young girl in Italy, who was raped by her driving instructor. The young girl told her parents and the 40-somthing year old man was arrested and found guilty. After appealing the verdict, another judge found the man not guilty. The judges basis was on the fact that the young girl had been wearing jeans that were so tight, she would have had to have removed them, thus making the intercourse consensual. This sparked outrage and in protest of the judges decision, Denim Day was born (this is a very condensed version of the story). The simple fact is that regardless of what someone is or is not wearing, it does not make sex consensual and it does not make it okay. That's what this fashion show is about. I wasn't sure what to expect from the designers. Would there be provocative designs, would there be conservative designs? Regardless of the design, just because a girl (or guy) is wearing it, does not mean that they are inviting unwanted sexual advances or rape. The designs created by these designers were amazing. There was everything from short dresses and skirts to strapless tops. They were beautiful and the women (and men) in them even more beautiful. Each piece had been custom made by the designers for the model wearing them. These designs took weeks to put together and each one of them did an amazing job.
When I arrived in Denver on Wednesday, I was super excited about the event. The hotel looked great. The ballroom looked great. Everything was coming together. In just a matter of ours, us models, would have gone through hair and makeup, VIP meet and greets and be modeling our fashions on stage in a celebration of us and all the other survivors in the almost sold out room. After all the models were ready, we went from our dressing room to meet and greet with the VIPs. This included three of the Denver Broncos (#85 Virgil Green - Tight End, #37 Jeremiah Johnson - Running Back and #60 Quentin Saulsberry - Center) and their families. Jeremiah's wife and 3 year old daughter were present with him and his little girl loved my 5 month old. Every time she saw us, she would come say hello. The guys were great, stopping what they were doing to take pictures and sign autographs. It meant a lot to all of us for them to be there. My wonderful and beautiful friend, Erin, came out to support me; which meant so much. She is an amazing person inside and out and has been so supportive of me over the past months. She is amazing and I am so very blessed that she is my friend.
When call time came for the show to start, I wasn't nervous at all. We were having fun. Prior to the show starting, Lori and Dwayne talked about the wonderful event sponsors and the show. They introduced Emily Tofte Nestaval from the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, who explained what the RMVLC does and introduced a beautiful singer, who nearly brought many of us to tears with her version of Hero. Then it was time. The show started. I was the second to last model to hit the runway. I was great until I got on stage and Dwayne began reading my bio, which explained that I was a survivor and that a result of my experiences, I wanted to help others and that I became a counselor and am an advocate. As the 200 or so people in the audience applauded, I was nearly brought to tears right there. In the 30 seconds I was on stage, I had a huge realization. Something I knew, but that had not hit me until that moment. I was a survivor! I had been through something that no one should have to go through and I survived it. Not only was I a survivor, I was facing my worst fear. That people would know I what had happened to me. The Broncos and their families were sitting at a table were we come on the stage at. I remember looking at their table as I walked back up the runway and they were all clapping and yelling loudly for me. I even made eye contact with one of the wives, who smiled and shook her yes at me. I had such a rush of emotion from the moment I was introduced that I couldn't even focus on my walk or whether or not I was doing it right. I have been on stage many times and this was the first time that I couldn't even begin to focus on what I was suppose to do and it was okay. I was having MY own personal experience here and I needed to have it. When the show was over, I got to walk to the end of the runway with Lori, which meant a lot to me because of her story, her support, her strength, inspiration and encouragement. I couldn't think of another person in the world I would have wanted to share the stage with in that moment. Backstage, whether it was shown or not, we all had emotions going on inside of us. Some that I'm sure we had addressed before and some that were new. This had been a celebration. A celebration of survivors and awareness and it had been a success.
I can't begin to thank Lori and Dwayne enough for what they are doing to raise awareness and what they have done for me personally. I love you guys and thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you are doing and for how you have inspired me.
Visit the Denver Denim Day Fashion Show at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Denver-Denim-Day-Fashion-Show-2013/269610583119798
A and I with Jeremiah Johnson and Quenten Saulsberry
A and I with Virgil Green
My beautiful friend, Erin
Lori and I with our designer, Rinchenn Sherpa
Teen Colorado Universal, Mrs. Louisiana US Universal, Ms US Universal (Lori) and myself
With Lori Krout ending the show
My DDD Ad
Amazing People - Dwayne Glapion & Lori Krout
