Wednesday 21 March 2012

Smoke and Mirrors

    As I bring this blog to a close I have one last comparison to make. There were two Miss America Pageant Protests organized in 1968,  the women's liberation movement is the one I will discuss (Kreydatus 2008). The women's liberation movement directed their efforts toward the Miss America Pageant because they found it to portray gender roles and a sexist beauty ideal. In order to bring about the change they wanted to see, these radical feminists sought to draw attention to their problems with the pageant. As a result of this protest the idea of beauty and women's liberation were brought to light and discussed nationally. During the protests in a symbolic gesture the feminists threw objects of womanhood such as, their bras, girdles, false eyelashes, steno pads, women's magazines, wigs, and dish cloths into a garbage can called the "Freedom Trash Can" (Kreydatus 2008: 490). Even though there was a lack of fire during this act, the protesters were labeled 'bra burners'.

     These radical feminists had very specific reasons for targeting the Miss America Pageant. In order for a woman to be considered a contestant she had to fit within the beauty ideal of the time, which happened to be white and slim with symmetrical features. The contestants also had to fit within a certain idea of how a proper woman should behave. They had to have spent no unchaperoned time with a male, have any hint of sexual encounter and have spent no time in establishments that served alcohol. The feminists found this to be a way for men to control the rights of women.

    SlutWalk, I feel, would feel roughly the same way about these ideals as the radical feminists did at the time. Though they would support women who choose to abstain from sex, they would be outraged at the notion of men, or even society, dictating the sexual behavior of women. What is interesting is how similar these feminists and SlutWalk are in ideas yet their veiw on femininity seems completely opposite. The radicals use bras as examples of woman garbage and are symbols of their oppression. SlutWalk on the other hand struts around in their underwear as means of embracing of their femininity. This change in attitude could represent a subtle shift in the meaning of feminism over the decades; the idea that women can be equal to men while still remaining completely female.

    With its mix of feminist values regarding sexual equality of women and mission to aid bring about the end of sexual assault SlutWalk has an interesting place in society. It gives women a place to share their stories as well as allows them to proclaim their desire to lead sexual lives without being judged or persecuted. In an effort to take away a means of controlling  the sex lives of women they aim to reclaim slut and turn it into something positive. They primarily use marches and tactics associated with marches to further their message, but have also made use of Facebook and Twitter as a way of raising awareness and gaining support. Though it has been less then a year since the first Toronto SlutWalk there have already been Walks in two hundred other cities and more are planned. For the time being SlutWalk is proving to be a force in raising awareness and getting people involved in the movement against slut shaming and victim blaming.

Courtesy of SlutWalk

For more information:
http://www.missamerica.org/

Reference Cited:

Kreydatus, Beth
     2008.  Confronting the "Bra-Burners:" Teaching Radical Feminism with a Case Study. The History Teacher
     41: 4. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40543887

Different History

     Even though SlutWalk seems to be a revitalization of certain parts of the feminist movement, it has still managed to fall into some of the same ruts as its predecessors. One of the criticisms against the Second Wave Feminist movement was that it played mainly to white middle class women. Entire demographics were left out due to this unequal focus and as a result the Third Wave of Feminism was lead mainly by African American women who wanted a movement to address issues that either were relevant or familiar to them. One of the critiques of Second Wave feminism is its assumption that all women, despite ethnicity, age or class, are the same. Instead the goal was equality with men. Though at the time there was an anti-racist feminism movement, the focus of Second Wave Feminism was on the issues of  middle class white women.

     In the article "SlutWalks vs. Ho Strolls", the author explains that she is, like many critics, skeptical of SlutWalk's mission to redefine slut. This is grounded in her experience as a Black woman along with her lack of familiarity with the term slut. She admits that though in Western society Black women are seen as sexually loose or as "sexual sirens" (Woodward 2005: 271 ) and despite being referred to by various derogatory labels, slut is not one of them. So though she finds the shocked outrage of  SlutWalk to be "very much like the protests of privileged white girls who still have an expectation that the world will treat them with dignity and respect" (crunktastic 2011), she is of the opinion that words used to control and harm should be left to those they are used against. Instead solidarity should be shown to movements which are similar in nature but are more specific in the history of the group they support.




Courtesy of Mike Wood

     Black women bear the burden of " four dominant and oppressive stereotypical images... the mammy, the matriarch, the sexual siren, and the wel-fare mother or queen"(Woodward 2005: 271). The mammy characterizes the Black woman as dedicated servant to her White family. The matriarch represents a Black mother in her own home, she works outside the home and this negatively affects her children. She also controls both her children and her husband or partner. The sexual siren image portrays Black women as a "bitch or whore...[who] cares for nothing but her own sexual satisfaction"(Woodward 2005: 272). The welfare mother is said to be too lazy to work and instead lives off the state, usually with her many children. These stereotypes all originate from the the slavery era, yet are still for the most part, continue to be portrayed by the media. Because of the vast difference in histories of those of different backgrounds it can be difficult to completely identify with those of different historical and ethnic backgrounds. During the Second Wave feminist movement White feminists had to learn that they could not always assume that their problems were shared by every ethnicity and that the different ethnic groups could not be clumped together.

    SlutWalk does indeed focus mainly on slut shaming and the like, which could be seen as White woman issues. Though SlutWalk's other messages may seem relatively universal, maybe not everyone can relate to their message. Instead, like  'SlutWalk vs. Ho Strolls' suggest it maybe more effective that they march with those who relate to their message and show solidarity to those who may not be able to relate exactly with their issue, but are working toward a similar goal.

For more information:
http://thewip.net/contributors/2011/09/slutwalk_to_femicide_making_th.html

References Cited:

crunktastic
      2011. SlutWalks vs. Ho Strolls. The Crunk Feminist Collective.
      http://crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/slutwalks-v-ho-strolls/

Thompson, Becky
      2002. Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism.
      Feminist Studies. 28: 2. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3178747

Woodard, Jennifer and  Teresa Mastin.
       2005. Black Womanhood: "Essence" and its Treatment of Stereotypical Images of Black Women.
       Journal of Black Studies. 36: 2. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40034332

Social Media

     A boon to social movements everywhere has been the flow of information and ideas provided by the internet. Those groups and individuals who once thought themselves isolated in their certain beliefs and ideals have been able to come together to create an arguably bigger impact than they would have without the support of others and solidarity of community. The use of social media has also given movements the ability to provide a constant flow of ideas and reminders of why their movement is necessary, as well as being able to network with other groups to create a bigger impact.

     SlutWalk has used social networks to great advantage. They have both a Facebook account and twitter page dedicated to SlutWalk in general, and in addition most cities have their own in order to organize walks and for local members to network more easily. I have been monitoring the SlutWalk Facebook group for the better part of a month now in preparation for this blog. Not only do the organizers of the group post links to SlutWalks all over the world, but they, as well as supporters, actively post links and images that relate to sexual assault, women's rights, and other articles relevant to the goals of SlutWalk. This has allowed members to be aware of the solidarity available to them as well as showing solidarity to similar organizations.
Courtesy of SlutWalk



References Cited:

Graeber, David.
     2009. Direct Action: An Ethnography. AK Press. Zine Library.
      http://zinelibrary.info/files/Direct%20Action%20-%20An%20Ethnography.pdf

Warf, Barney and John Grimes
      1997. Counterhegemonic Discourses and the Internet. Geographical Review. 87: 2.
       http://www.jstor.org/stable/216008

Picture Perfect

    As I have been researching SlutWalk I have come across images and posters created and shared by the organizers, participants, and supporters. These images range from pictures taken during SlutWalks to  cartoons with captions relating to the issues SlutWalk wants to tackle. Some of these images contain humor, others are heart wrenching.

 
Courtesy of Andre S. Belcher-El

Courtesy of Sharnell BBiscuit


     Like in media texts many of these images have different layers of meanings and thus one "cannot take texts at face- value" ( Gamson 1992: 381). The point of many of the images relating to SlutWalk is first to either make the audience laugh or feel shock, and then reflect on the implications of such an image. The implications are not just about the values of the movement, but what this means about society.  The first image I give as an example very much embodies the message of SlutWalk, in this case it says 'lets have crazy sex, but only if we both consent first'. Yet this still warns against rape or at least the attempt or threat of rape. The second image is one rejecting victim blaming, and the speaks to how we treat women after an assault based on their appearance and history. SlutWalk uses its Facebook group to share these images, as I will discuss in a later post.  

 These types of images help to further the message of SlutWalk in many important ways. To begin with, they have the ability to reach people in a deeper way than just hearing or reading about SlutWalk, or any other cause for that matter. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, so by circulating photos such as the one above those who wish to raise awareness and prevent sexual assault can reach people in a way speeches never will.  It also allows those observing SlutWalk to stop and think about what they are seeing, much the way signs do in protest.  

For more information:


References Cited:

Gamson, William A. and, David Croteau, William Hoynes and Theodore Sasson
      1992. Media Images and the Social Construction of Reality. Annual Review of Sociology. 18.


The Pornification of Protest

     I have already looked at some critiques of SlutWalk in relation to other topics I have discussed, but I thought it important to look at a few arguments that I have yet to cover. I also wanted the opportunity to bring some of my own skepticism to the table.

    One of the issues a critic reported was the SlutWalk had engaged in the "Pornification of Protest" because of some marchers choose to dress in very little clothing; this occurrence means men seem to inevitably show up to watch the spectacle.  That being said, SlutWalk is not saying that women should dress up in skimpy clothing as a way to get what they want. Instead they do it to make a point, women should be able to dress however they want and not have to fear being victimized.

    My concern is the portrayal of sex in relation to women. I do not disagree with the message of SlutWalk and their goal of sexual equality for women. My concern lies with the message we are sending adolescents about sex. SlutWalk supports a women's right to sleep with as many men as she want as well as her right of self expression through the clothes she chooses to wear. For women who are already sexually active and enjoy having sex, this is a perfectly reasonable ideology. But what about those who have not yet had sex?

     In our society, for the most part, we teach our youth how to have safe sex or to stay away from sex until they are absolutely sure that they are completely ready.  But deciding whether or not one is ready for sex is a huge decision, one that not everyone knows how to make, or make correctly. When we wait until we are ready our expectations for both the relationship and the sex are unreasonable. This is because we are told that when we wait, everything will work out.

    So now teens have SlutWalks adding its voice to make the decision more difficult. As a young woman it is refreshing to hear harmonious voices saying that just because a woman has sex, with one partner or many, there is no basis for harassment. This may lead young women to be more comfortable making the decision to have sex, but are they really ready or are they simply responding to a media craze. SlutWalk does support women who choose not to have sex, but that portion of their message has never seemed very loud. I worry that a young girl will look at SlutWalk and decide to have sex, not because she is actually ready, but because of the lessened social stigma and because everyone says it is okay. That being said, maybe it is actually impossible to really be ready for sex that first time, so if nothing else it can be seen as a learning experience and one can then decide if they are ready to continue having sex or wait until they feel truly ready.

Courtesy of Heather Mallic


    Whatever can be said about SlutWalk, good or bad, it has become a powerful voice in modern feminism. It has raised awareness for its cause and inspired thousands of people in two hundred cities to speak out against slut shaming and victim blaming and aim to bring about sexual autonomy for women.

For more information:

http://www.uptownmag.com/news-and-views/and-another-thing/Reclaim-it-We-dont-want-it-131620213.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/8510743/These-slut-walk-women-are-simply-fighting-for-their-right-to-be-dirty.html

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sex-dawn/201105/slutwalking-history


References Cited:

Ashcraft, Catherine.
     2008. Ready or Not . . . ? Teen Sexuality and the Troubling Discourse of Readiness.
     Anthropology & Education Quarterly. 34:4. Wiley Online Library.
     http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aeq.2006.37.4.328/pdf


 

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Take a Walk

        Marches and rallies are common tactics used within social movements. Though Graeber mentions in Direct Action that marches and rallies tend to not bring about change themselves, they do have a place as a means of protest. He uses the example of the march on Washington prior to Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech, which has become a symbol for the "culmination of years of struggle, involving boycotts, sit-ins, and every sort of civil disobedi­ence and direct action... it was that march and rally that stuck in the popular imagination"(Graeber 2009: 363). He goes on further to explain that this claiming of the spot light by one charismatic individual after local activists anonymously organizing a multitude of other events is what anarchists tend to object to. Anarchists also find rallies and marches to be the opposite of direct action as they are primarily legal forms of protest and thus require the acknowledgement of the state to organize the events. Aside from these quibbles over the usefulness, purpose and effectiveness of marches they are still used as one of the many diverse tactics employed during a single action.

      SlutWalk itself is a good example of the effectiveness of a march to further the message and goals of a social movement. Though SlutWalk uses other a few other avenues to get its point across, it is primarily an organization which marches to raise awareness. If people had not marched in streets across the globe proclaiming to be a SlutWalk, those who were not aware of the prevalence of victim blaming in our society may not ever have been engaged. Because of marches like SlutWalk, this movement for women's sexual freedom has more support and certainly more awareness generated by the media coverage it has received.


Courtesy of Graeme Davis



References Consulted:

Graeber, David.
     2009. Direct Action: An Ethnography. AK Press. Zine Library.
      http://zinelibrary.info/files/Direct%20Action%20-%20An%20Ethnography.pdf

Tuesday 13 March 2012

A Song to Sing

    Songs, signs, and chants have long been part of the make up of protests and actions. Holding signs allows those who are marching or protesting to show their audience, as well as the cameras, why the are there. This ensures that any photographs taken of the action will not simply look like a group of people standing around or walking in the streets. Instead it conveys the message of the movement to those who only see photos of the action, whether in the newspaper or on the internet. This means that anyone interested in the movement can look back and know the intent, thus allowing the movement to, in a sense, transcend time.

    Chants and songs are also incredibly important, though more for the activists themselves than for the observers. According to Graeber, chanting with hundreds of other people "provides the most immediate and powerful experience of sociality" (2009:484). It allows participants to stop being individuals and be a part of a whole. This seems to create a greater sense of solidarity than simply walking down the street with a group of other people.  This phenomenon is not limited to social movements and protest, chanting at a game in support of a sports team or during religious services. I experienced this during first year orientation at my university. The faculties all have their own set of cheers and, as the first years were being given campus tours, anyone could begin a cheer and anyone from the same faculty within earshot would join in. It would get to the point where one would find themselves unconsciously repeating a response to a cheer that one barely registered hearing. It was like in that one moment individuality was stripped away, leaving one as only part of a collective.

     SlutWalk also makes use of chants and signs. For example, during the Toronto march they chanted "Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no" (Loriggio, 2011). In addition, SlutWalk also uses a variety of signs and slogans to proclaim their intent. Some of the main points or messages on the Toronto signs were: the fault for a rape does not lie with the victim, the type or style of clothing a woman is wearing should not be the determining factor of whether or not she is raped, and if anyone says no to sex it means no, no matter how many sexual partners they have had previously. Other signs were the personal accounts of rape victims and how they were either blamed for their rape. These provide an account of what SlutWalk represents and what it wants to see changed in our society.

Courtesy of Graeme Davis



References Cited:


Graeber, David.
     2009. Direct Action: An Ethnography. AK Press. Zine Library.
      http://zinelibrary.info/files/Direct%20Action%20-%20An%20Ethnography.pdf

Loriggio, Paolo.
     2011.  Thousands march in Toronto 'slut walk'. MSN News.
      http://news.ca.msn.com/canada/cp-article.aspx?cp-documentid=28236624






 
   


Oh the Irony

     After my last post there is one comment that I would  like to come back to. Goff had said in her blog (cited in previous post) that SlutWalk's tactic of participants walking around in their underwear lessens their message. That even while trying to make a political statement they instead simply reverted to the age old alternative and started taking off their clothing to get what they want, demanding to be called sluts. I would like to point out, this was the point.

   SlutWalk uses reversal and satire to deliver its message. These tactics are quite common among protests and marches. Ya! Basta for example is an organization that began in Europe, though other groups have cropped up in North America as well, that uses similar tactics. David Graeber, an anarchist of some renown, was once part of a faction of Ya! Basta in New York and give an account of their way of making a statement through satire and reversal in his ethnography Direct Action. In his book Graeber puts great emphasis on the use of force by the police officers and riot cops during protests. Ya! Basta's solution to this abuse was to don armor while looking as non threatening as possible. They do this by wearing protective padding made from rubber protective sheeting or rubber ducky flotation devices, helmets, and plastic shields along with gas masks and white chemical protective suits. As a result the person looks ridiculous and is relatively safe from whatever battering the police throw at them. This approach is a new way to resist authority: "the "white overalls" proposed an ethos of protection: as  long as you refuse to harm others, it is completely legitimate to take whatever measures necessary to avoid harm to yourself"(Graeber: 2009 (3)). To add to the aura of being purely defensive and non threatening, Ya! Basta uses "weapons" such as water pistols and balloons to attack police lines.

    Satire has long been used as a way to to call attention to what we as a society usually takes for granted and makes us think critically about it. A definition of  satire from Oxford Dictionaries is "the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues". Craig Stark, a former instructor at a university of Texas, used satire to teach media literacy to his students and described it as "a cognitive "bucket of water in the face" for students, helping to startle them into new awareness" (Stark 2003: 306). This new awareness can lead to critical analysis of what they see and hear (Stark: 306).

     So when groups such as Ya! Basta and SlutWalk use satire to introduce their message they are inviting their audience to stop and really think about the absurdity of what they are watching and realize the serious nature of what they are trying to say. Ya! Basta does this by looking as non threatening and unable to do harm as possible so when they seemingly inevitably get attacked by the police it looks even more brutal. Another example from Graeber is, during the protests against the negotiations of the Free Trade Area of the Americas pact held in Quebec City in April, 2001 activists used a catapult to launch teddy bears at riot police, while the police used tear gas (157). SlutWalk participants marching in lingerie or other articles of clothing that personify and exaggerate 'sluttiness' and thus encourage observers to consider what a slut actually looks like.

Courtesy of Kerry Ann Dobson


     SlutWalk's embrace of the term slut is an example of another tactic, reversal. Instead of sticking with their initial outrage of the use of slut, they adopted the term and seek to make it mean something else, and not an excuse or justification for sexual assault.

   
References Cited:

Graeber, David.
     2009. Direct Action: An Ethnography. AK Press. Zine Library.
      http://zinelibrary.info/files/Direct%20Action%20-%20An%20Ethnography.pdf
   

What's In a Name?

     As I had mentioned in my previous post, one of the objectives of SlutWalk is to redefine the word slut. This point, along with the portion of SlutWalk where some participants wore bustiers and fishnets, has been a hard pill to swallow for those who have become critics of Slutwalk. In the article I linked in my introductory post for example, the authors made the point that it is a grievous insult to be labelled as a slut. In her blog "Dear Feminists, Will You Also Be Marching In N***erwalk? Because I Won't", Keli Goff heavily criticized both participants and organizers of SlutWalk for "play[ing] into the stereotype of women being intellectually inferior"(Goff: 2011). She also claims that the SlutWalks do nothing for the actual victims of sexual assault, and thus are doing nothing to reach their goals. While neither article opposes the main goal of SlutWalk, they do take issue to its execution.

     Before we can redefine a word we first have to know what it means now. Slut is a hard word to define as everyone who uses it thinks of a slut in a different way. Even those who are burdened with the label of slut are different, and may have not done more than wear low cut tops or flirted with a couple of guys to earn it. So I went looking for a definition for slut, and the best ones I could find were on Urban Dictionary, which is by no means from a scholarly source but gives a good indication of the common usage.

One of the definitions I found was:


"a girl thats fucked so many guys she cant close her legs anymore"
- by erik (May 17 2003)


 Not all were as crude as that one.


" A female who enjoys performing sexual acts with multiple partners"
- by Pimpkid (June 29 2003)


"1. a girl who has sex but does not enjoy it, who is used by guys and lets them do it. She does not have the self respect to make them stop. 
2. a girl who likes sex, so she does it. She probably is not in a relationship, and she equalizes herself to guys by treating sex the same way they do. 
- by Laura ( April 30 2003)
     The first definition clearly supports that slut is a derogatory term, the other two are less obvious about this point. In response to the second definition: is there really anything bad about being a female who enjoys sex? Even if this female had multiple partners, it does not specify that all the partners are there at once, or the nature of the relationship between female and her partners. It could even be attributed to a woman who has been married multiple times, which some people may find more acceptable.

      The third definition is both more and less ambiguous as it has both negative and neutral/positive connotations It specified sluts to be women, which I will follow along with for the sake of ease. The first half defines a slut not as some one who simply has sex, but one who does not say no. There exists a reluctance to stop the partner, allowing herself to be used, which be not a lack of self respect, but a difference in how the woman views sex. In the article "Human Sexuality: How Do Men and Women Differ?" Letitia Anne Peplau compares the many differences between the way men and women look at sex. Typically, men think of sex more than women, and want to have it more often, because of this, "in heterosexual couples, it is fairly common for a partner to engage in sex when he or she is no really interested or 'in the mood.' Although both men and women sometimes consent to unwanted sexual activity, women are more often the compliant partner." (Peplau 2003: 39). Is a woman a slut if she has sex with her partner even if she does not really want to?  Even if as the definition is correct in that there is a lack of self respect we should not be using derogatory terms to bring such a woman down even further.

       Other definitions mentioned the type of clothing or the amount of skin showing as a part of slutishiness. In her observations of the Goth scene Amy C. Wilkins finds  when going to the club "The typical Goth woman's ensemble fetishizes the whore, combining corsets with short skirts and fishnet stockings" (2004: 337). She goes on to explain that though these women dress too sexily they are not doing it to have sex. Instead they claim to be dressing up for themselves, and the rules of the Goth scene allow them to so without being harassed. The second half of the third definition also relates to these Goth women. They use sex to create a gender equality within their subculture.

     This message of women wearing what they want without worrying about being taken for a slut, or asking for it, is basically what the SlutWalk is asking for.  Even I have to admit, it is fun to dress up, to look good and have people, men even, notice the effort I have put into my appearance. So when the Goth woman wear corsets and make themselves look incredibly sexy maybe they are doing it for themselves as they claim; but part of that is probably looking good, and to get reactions that drive home how good they look, because people may feel a bit of a rush when they know that they look desirable, empowered even.

Courtesy of Christina Page


    Back to the articles from the beginning of this post. I understand that being a slut has always been seen as a negative thing, a "social death" (Dines: 2011).  Many of the comments against this action revolve around not wanting to demand to be called a slut, because slut is an insult. But the whole point of redefining slut is to stop it from being an insult. Which is why SlutWalk wants to take back the word, redefine it. If they take away its derogatory meaning and change it to embody something positive, or at least neutral, they are taking away a weapon from those who oppose sexual autonomy for women. So when the women declare, yes I am a slut, they are accepting the meaning society attributes to it and what it implies about private lives. Instead of letting this be an insult they decide that yes, I have sex because I enjoy it and if that makes me a slut then so be it. In this way slut can be an acknowledgement of being sexually active, a positive or at least neutral definition.

Courtesy of SlutWalk Toronto


For more on this debate:

http://crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/slutwalks-v-ho-strolls/

http://www.trentarthur.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2411%3Ano-means-no-unless-youre-a-slut&catid=16&Itemid=38

http://leighnats.blogspot.com/2011/03/slutty-slute-slute.html

References Cited:

Dines, Gail and Wendy J. Murphy. 8 May 2011. "SlutWalk is not sexual liberation".
        http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/08/slutwalk-not-sexual-liberation.
       Consulted 10 March 2012.

Goff, Keli. 10 March 2011.
      "Dear Feminists, Will You Also Be Marching In N***erwalk? Because I Won't."
       http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keli-goff/slutwalk-new-york_b_993261.html
      Consulted 10 March 2012

Peplau, Letitia Anne.
      2003. Human Sexuality: How Do Men and Women Differ?. Current Directions in Psychological
      Science 12(2): 37-40. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20182831 Consulted 11 March 2012.


Wilkins,Amy C.
    2004. "So Full of Myself as a Chick": Goth Women, Sexual Independence, and Gender Egalitarianism
      Gender and Society 18(3): 328-349. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4149405 Consulted 11 March 2012.


Urban Dictionary.
Slut Definition. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=slut Consulted 9 March 2012

Sunday 11 March 2012

An Introduction

     Man: Hello, I'd like to report a mugging.
     Officer: A mugging eh? Where did it take place?
     Man: I was walking by 21st and Dundritch Street and a man pulled out a gun and said, "Give me all your money."
    Officer: And did you?
    Man: Yes, I co-operated.
    Officer: So you willingly gave the man your money without fighting back, calling for help or trying to escape?
    Man: Well, yes, but I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill me!
    Officer: Mmm. But you did co-operate with him. And I've been informed that you're quite a philanthropist, too.
   Man: I give to charity, yes.
   Officer: So you like to give money away. You make a habit of giving money away.
   Man: What does that have to do with this situation?
   Officer: You knowingly walked down Dundritch Street in your suit when everyone knows you like to give away money, and then you didn't fight back. It sounds like you gave money to someone, but now you're having after-donation regret. Tell me, do you really want to ruin his life because of your mistake?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150552747443096&set=o.117263331688009&type=3&permPage=1

     As a title, as well as a topic, SlutWalk can be slightly shocking for those who are unfamiliar with it. This apparent bluntness of both its message and ideology is why I chose SlutWalk to be the object if my research. On the surface it seems to simply support victims of sexual assault and advocate for turning away from slut shaming and victim blaming in our society. In fact, SlutWalk has grown in the issues it seeks to highlight, especially the right of women to control their bodies and sexuality.

Courtesy of Souch, Lauren / 2011



      In this initial post I will provide information about SlutWalk and what it stands for, along with examples of the individual events which grab the attention of the organizers and followers of SlutWalk. My following posts will each examine a different aspect of SlutWalk, sometimes in relation to other social movements or protests. This blog is a project for my Anthropology class, thus it all should relate back to the anthropological principles I have learned in class. I will try to present my topics in an unbiased manner as possible. The purpose of my project is to research a current social movement. One definition of a social movement I have found is "an organized group of individuals working together to change and transform social, political or economic realities" (The Socjournal). SlutWalk for example is made up of groups of individuals from all over the globe in order to enact social change.

     SlutWalk began in Toronto as a response to a comment made by a Toronto police officer, stating that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized"(SlutWalk:2011). Out of the shock and outraged aftermath of this comment SlutWalk was born. Last April thousands of people took to the streets and marched to the Toronto Police Headquarters. The marchers were armed with banners and some were dressed in types of costumes or as 'sluts'.  Many participants had their own stories of assault to share, others had come in support of friends and family members affected. This initial march in Toronto inspired marches in cities across the world, London,  Sydney, and Delhi are just a few examples. One idea of SlutWalk is to reclaim the word slut, to redefine it so it can no longer be used as a device to control the sexuality of women.

     In order to get a better sense of SlutWalk I have been looking at their website as well as following them on Facebook. The Facebook page seems to be a good indication of the other issues that SlutWalk, or at least its members, want to bring attention to, along with dates and information about SlutWalks occurring other cities.

For more information on SlutWalk:
     http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/
or look them up on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/SlutWalk?sk=wall

And for more examples of discussions of SlutWalk:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13739876
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/08/slutwalk-not-sexual-liberation

References Cited
SlutWalk. 2011. "Why". http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/about/why . Consulted 3 March 2012.

Socjournal. "Unit 1: Social Movements, Social Class, and Power".http://www.sociology.org/courses/sociology-288-social-movements/unit-1-social-movements-social-class-power. Consulted 21 March 2012