Our Story
What Were You Wearing (WWYW) was born from pain — but also from a fierce determination to change the way the world sees survivors of violence.
Meet Sarah
WWYW founder, Sarah Williams, grew up surrounded by trauma. From the age of eight, she endured relentless family violence — both physical and sexual abuse — experiences that shaped what “normal” looked like in her childhood.
At 18, Sarah met a boy at university and they fell quickly in love. It was 2020, midway through the COVID lockdowns, when Sarah, struggling with the loss of her family, began seeing a mental health professional.
During these sessions, her counsellor began to see the signs: Sarah was being physically abused by her boyfriend on a daily basis. What she wore, what she ate, and how she spent her money were all controlled. She wasn’t allowed out often, which meant the bruises could be hidden.
Her counsellor educated her about what domestic violence was and worked with her to develop an escape plan. But it would be another eight months before Sarah was able to leave, by which time she had come dangerously close to losing her life.
After escaping, Sarah was sexually assaulted by 3 different perpetrators, 3 different times. Trauma kept following her.
But through this pain,
WWYW Australia was born
Sarah brought the original WWYW exhibition to Australia, collecting over 9,000 survivor stories; voices too often ignored or silenced.
That moment was a turning point. Sarah knew WWYW couldn’t be just a once-a-year event. She wanted to create a movement. A daily support system and platform to empower survivors and change the conversation around violence.
From this vision, What Were You Wearing became the organisation it is today — a lifeline for survivors and a catalyst for change.
Our Services
Safer Nightlife Training
Nightlife training, developed by experts to help venues and staff understand, preventing and tackling drink spiking and safer nightlife practices in Australia.
Survivor Healing Groups
Our free support groups are a safe place for victim-survivors to experience the power of group connection, whilst also learning new healing techniques.
Festival Safe Spaces
We provide Australia’s only sexual assault service that provides support within music festivals and the nightlife.
Stay Connected
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