SlutWalk

The first SlutWalk in Toronto, ON, 3 April 2011

The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with subsequent rallies occurring globally. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance, and call for an end to rape culture. The rallies began when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto Police officer, suggested that to remain safe, "women should avoid dressing like sluts." The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress as "sluts" in revealing attire. There are also speaker meetings and workshops. Critics say that this approach is an example of women defining their sexuality on male terms.

History

Inception

On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke on crime prevention, addressing the issue of campus rape at a York University safety forum at Osgoode Hall Law School. He said: "I've been told I'm not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." Co-founders Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis decided to use the word "slut" in their response. They observe that historically, "slut" has had negative connotations, and that their goal is to reclaim the term. Their website states

"We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence, regardless if we participate in sex for pleasure or work. No one should equate enjoying sex with attracting sexual assault."

Sanguinetti later apologized for the remark saying: "I am embarrassed by the comment I made and it shall not be repeated."

To be sure, such a comment from law enforcement is highly offensive in suggesting that some victims of rape are responsible for the criminal acts of their attackers. Rather than admonishing women to dress a certain way, police should be warning potential offenders that they should 'avoid assaulting women in order not to go to prison' —Gail Dines and Wendy J Murphy

First march and consequent growth

On April 3, 2011, over 3,000 gathered at Queen's Park. The day began with speeches before moving to the Toronto Police Headquarters. Although the website requested women to dress in everyday wear (to symbolize ordinary women, sexually assaulted in ordinary life), many women dressed as "sluts".

New York City SlutWalkers dressed like sluts. Union Square, October 2011

Jessica Valenti says: "In just a few months, SlutWalks have become the most successful feminist action of the past 20 years." It has been compared to FEMEN, the Ukrainian women's group, and Boobquake, an atheistic and feminist response to Iran's Hojatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi who blamed women who dress immodestly for causing earthquakes. Both integrate nudity and protest.

India and the world

On July 16, 2011, about 50 people rallied for India's first Slutwalk, called Slutwalk arthaat Besharmi Morcha. Rita Banerji, Indian feminist and author reports that SlutWalk was criticised as irrelevant in the face of female feticide, infanticide, dowry murders and honor killings. She argues: "The issue at the crux of the SlutWalk is one and the same as for all the other above mentioned afflictions. It is about the recognition of women as individuals with certain fundamental rights, including that of safety and personal choices, which no one, not even the family, can violate."

SlutWalks have occurred widely, including: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle in the United States; Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil; Melbourne in Australia; Bhopal in India, London, Jerusalem, Gdańsk and Warsaw in Poland. In Poland, a communist group called Pracownicza Demokracja participated in the demonstration,

Kolkata in India has seen two chapters of Slutwalk in 2012 and 2013 consecutively.

Responses

Risk management

Australian commentator Andrew Bolt observed that guidance on how to dress in any given context is simply risk management, and such advice need not exclude opposition to victim-blaming. Rod Liddle agrees, saying "...I have a perfect right to leave my windows open when I nip to the shops for some fags, without being burgled. It doesn’t lessen the guilt of the burglar that I’ve left my window open, or even remotely suggest that I was deserving of being burgled. Just that it was more likely to happen." Mike Strobel even suggests that the approach SlutWalk is advocating is dangerous, and he would not advise a daughter to dress "provocatively in iffy circumstances."

Trivialising approach

SlutWalk has focused on being able to choose what to wear without being harassed, rather than the larger and broader discussion of consent concerning sexual assault. It has been accused of "[fixating] solely around liberal questions of individual choice – the palatable “I can wear what I want” feminism that is intentionally devoid of an analysis of power dynamics." But Jessica Valenti says: "The idea that women’s clothing has some bearing on whether they will be raped is a dangerous myth feminists have tried to debunk for decades."

"...at a moment when questions of sex and power, blame and credibility, and gender and justice are so ubiquitous and so urgent, I have mostly felt irritation that stripping down to skivvies and calling ourselves sluts is passing for keen retort..." —Rebecca Traister, The New York Times

Some popular responses have also questioned the wisdom of using the word "slut," even suggesting that "far from empowering women, attempting to reclaim the word has the opposite effect, simply serving as evidence that women are accepting this label given to them by misogynistic men," concluding "Women should not protest for the right to be called slut."

Culturally insensitive

Black feminists have accused Slutwalk of being exclusionary to women of color, saying "As Black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves “slut” without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is." Keli Goff ironically entitled her response: "Dear Feminists, Will You Also Be Marching In N***erwalk? Because I Won't." From a global perspective, SlutWalk can appear imperialistic in its imposition of western feminist ideologies on areas such as those of the Global South in countries including Brazil and the Honduras. No equivalent term for the word "slut" exists in these areas and the aim of SlutWalk to re-appropriate the word is thus lost. Ernesto Aguilar has noted: "A lack of understanding of practical political realities, especially for cross-sections of communities of color." Aura Blogando has argued that SlutWalk in the Global South is not helpful: "I do not want white English-speaking Global North women telling Spanish-speaking Global South women to “reclaim” a word that is foreign to our own vocabulary. To do so would be hegemonic, and would illustrate the ways in which Global North “feminists” have become a tool of cultural imperialism."

Male-defined vocabulary

File:SlutWalkSF04987.png

Young girl protesting sexualization of women and girls in San Francisco SlutWalk, 2011

Others have noted that the use of the word "slut" raises the hackles of those anxious about the "'pornification' of everything and the pressure on young girls to look like Barbie dolls". Melinda Tankard Reist, notable for her stance against sexualisation of children in modern pop culture, said: “I believe the name will marginalise women and girls who want to be active in violence prevention campaigns but who don’t feel comfortable with personally owning the word slut." Feminists Gail Dines and Wendy J Murphy have suggested that the word slut is inherently indivisible from the madonna/whore binary opposition and thus "beyond redemption." They say: "Women need to find ways to create their own authentic sexuality, outside of male-defined terms like slut."

Recently the debate about using the word slut has emerged within the SlutWalk movement itself. Organisers of SlutWalk New York City "have made the decision to withdraw from the movement because of the name." In Vancouver, the organisers decided to cancel the march and have a discussion instead, and a debate was held to determine a different name. Of the four names suggested (Slutwalk, End the Shame, Yes Means Yes and Shame Stop), SlutWalk remained the favourite, though half the voters had voted against the old name.

Pornification

Former British Conservative MP Louise Mensch has objected to SlutWalk "on the grounds that it 'lionises promiscuity', which she says is harmful." She also added "promiscuity is not equality." Indeed, the inclusion of "Sex Party branding" has been criticised in Brisbane, where it was said by a rape survivor "...they are promoting sex positivity, which I personally have no problem with, but a lot of survivors of rape are at different stages." Guy Rundle has contrasted SlutWalk with Reclaim the Night protests, saying they "resisted the deep cultural pull to make women into objects rather than subjects, to be constituted by the male gaze... there was no way to watch Reclaim The Night and feel like, or be, a voyeur." At worst, it has been said that "SlutWalkers have internalised their abuse" and SlutWalk is "the pornification of protest."

External links

• Official website