SlutWalk
Encyclopedia
The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto
, Canada
, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape
by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance
. 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 in ordinary clothing and others dress provocatively, like "sluts." There are also speaker meetings and workshops. Some objectors have remarked that this approach is an example of women defining their sexuality in male terms.
safety forum. He said: "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 redeem the term. They write that women "are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result." They continue: "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." Sanguinetti later apologized for the remark.
On April 3, 2011, over 3,000 gathered at Queen's Park (Toronto). 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" in provocative clothing.
The idea spread to include major cities around the globe.Jessica Valenti says: "In just a few months, SlutWalks have become the most successful feminist action of the past 20 years." SlutWalks have been attended by thousands of women and men, and debated in the media. In India, where the slutwalk was denounced as irrelevant in the face of numerous other issues that women face, including female feticide, infanticide, dowry murders and honor killings, Rita Banerji, Indian feminist and author 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."
For their activism, founders of SlutWalk Heather Jarvis and Sonya JF Barnett were named Utne Reader
visionaries in 2011.
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." 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."
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." 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." 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." British Conservative MP Louise Bagshawe has objected to SlutWalk "on the grounds that it "lionises promiscuity", which she says is harmful." She also added "promiscuity is not equality."
Guy Randle 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."
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance
Human physical appearance
Human physical appearance refers to the outward phenotype or look of human beings. There are infinite variations in human phenotypes, though society reduces the variability to distinct categories...
. 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 in ordinary clothing and others dress provocatively, like "sluts." There are also speaker meetings and workshops. Some objectors have remarked that this approach is an example of women defining their sexuality in male terms.
History
On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke on crime prevention at a York UniversityYork University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
safety forum. He said: "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
Slut
Slut or slattern is a pejorative term applied to an individual who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous...
in their response. They observe that historically, "slut" has had negative connotations, and that their goal is to redeem the term. They write that women "are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result." They continue: "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." Sanguinetti later apologized for the remark.
On April 3, 2011, over 3,000 gathered at Queen's Park (Toronto). 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" in provocative clothing.
The idea spread to include major cities around the globe.Jessica Valenti says: "In just a few months, SlutWalks have become the most successful feminist action of the past 20 years." SlutWalks have been attended by thousands of women and men, and debated in the media. In India, where the slutwalk was denounced as irrelevant in the face of numerous other issues that women face, including female feticide, infanticide, dowry murders and honor killings, Rita Banerji, Indian feminist and author 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."
For their activism, founders of SlutWalk Heather Jarvis and Sonya JF Barnett were named Utne Reader
Utne Reader
Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...
visionaries in 2011.
Responses
There have been a number of responses to the SlutWalk phenomenon, not all of them positive. For example, Australian commentator Andrew BoltAndrew Bolt
Andrew Bolt is an Australian newspaper columnist, radio commentator, blogger and television host. Bolt is a columnist and associate editor of the Melbourne-based Herald Sun. He has appeared on the Nine Network, Melbourne Talk Radio, ABC Television, Network Ten and local radio...
observed that guidance on how to dress in any given context is simply risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
, and such advice need not exclude opposition to victim-blaming. Rod Liddle
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. L. Liddle is an English print, radio, and television journalist.He is an associate editor of The Spectator, and former editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he is the author of Too Beautiful for You , Love Will Destroy Everything , and co-author of The Best of Liddle Britain...
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." 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."
Feminists Gail Dines
Gail Dines
Gail Dines is a feminist anti-pornography activist, author, professor, and lecturer. An academic, she has also been described as "The world's leading anti-pornography campaigner".-Biography:...
and Wendy J Murphy have suggested that the word slut is inherently indivisible from the madonna/whore binary opposition
Binary opposition
In critical theory, a binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. It is the contrast between two mutually...
and thus "beyond redemption." They say: "Women need to find ways to create their own authentic sexuality, outside of male-defined terms like slut." 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." 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
Melinda Tankard Reist
Melinda Tankard Reist is an Australian author and blogger, notable for her activism against abortionand her stance against the sexualisation of modern pop culture....
, 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." British Conservative MP Louise Bagshawe has objected to SlutWalk "on the grounds that it "lionises promiscuity", which she says is harmful." She also added "promiscuity is not equality."
Guy Randle 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."