Introduction and Context
The SlutWalk movement began in Toronto, Canada in 2011 as a demonstration against the idea that women who dress like sluts, i.e. too sexy, revealing, or provocatively, are inviting men to rape them (Schutte, 2012, 116-118). It was founded by a group of female students at York University in response to a police officer’s statement that “if women want to avoid rape, they shouldn’t dress like ‘sluts,’” and has evolved into a global movement with “Sibling” walks planned in over 75 cities around the globe (Valenti, 2011). Many of the women who participate in these walks dress in “clothing that would typically be considered ‘slutty’,” and carry signs emblazoned with the word “slut” or other pejoratives often used to describe women in an effort to communicate their message (Schutte, 2012, 116-118). So, why do they do it? These women have used dress as a keystone to bring them all together and create the foundation of an entire global movement against sexual …show more content…
It is important to understand that many Walkers view themselves as sluts, but not in the negative way that the word is typically used. SlutWalkers see the “slut” as a woman who refuses to accept society’s belief that she should dress modestly and avoid expressing her sexuality. They want people to understand that women are more than just the clothes they choose to wear, whether modest or “slutty”. This point is evidenced by a statement from Toronto SlutWalk saying that, “one’s humanity and intrinsic worth is not determined by their clothing, age, race, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, or class,” (FAQs, n.d.). The SlutWalkers want to be women who are unashamed and, more importantly, unafraid of expressing their sexuality through the way that they dress and the implications of that expression on their safety; and they want to live in a society where it is safe for other women to do the
The SlutWalk movement began in Toronto, Canada in 2011 as a demonstration against the idea that women who dress like sluts, i.e. too sexy, revealing, or provocatively, are inviting men to rape them (Schutte, 2012, 116-118). It was founded by a group of female students at York University in response to a police officer’s statement that “if women want to avoid rape, they shouldn’t dress like ‘sluts,’” and has evolved into a global movement with “Sibling” walks planned in over 75 cities around the globe (Valenti, 2011). Many of the women who participate in these walks dress in “clothing that would typically be considered ‘slutty’,” and carry signs emblazoned with the word “slut” or other pejoratives often used to describe women in an effort to communicate their message (Schutte, 2012, 116-118). So, why do they do it? These women have used dress as a keystone to bring them all together and create the foundation of an entire global movement against sexual …show more content…
It is important to understand that many Walkers view themselves as sluts, but not in the negative way that the word is typically used. SlutWalkers see the “slut” as a woman who refuses to accept society’s belief that she should dress modestly and avoid expressing her sexuality. They want people to understand that women are more than just the clothes they choose to wear, whether modest or “slutty”. This point is evidenced by a statement from Toronto SlutWalk saying that, “one’s humanity and intrinsic worth is not determined by their clothing, age, race, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, occupation, or class,” (FAQs, n.d.). The SlutWalkers want to be women who are unashamed and, more importantly, unafraid of expressing their sexuality through the way that they dress and the implications of that expression on their safety; and they want to live in a society where it is safe for other women to do the