Rape Crisis Scotland

Slutwalking into our own subjection?

Efforts to challenge attitudes that blame women for rape are always welcome. But is it the case that opportunities to do this are so scarce that we will welcome them at any price? The current “Slutwalk” craze is a case in point. This began in Canada following remarks made by a policeman who declared that “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” and has gone viral in recent weeks, with marches to protest such attitudes taking place in many cities across the globe, accompanied by assertions that it is time to “reclaim” the term “slut”.

It’s great to see such a wave of anger and enthusiasm energizing these efforts, but is the word “slut” really something we want to “reclaim”? Indeed, was it ever something we owned in the first place? It is difficult in the current climate to suggest, without risking accusations of being a killjoy, that it might be time for a little reflection. “Slut” is part of a damaging and diverse arsenal of semantic weaponry that has been used for centuries to assault women verbally – to insult and subordinate us. It is part of the soundtrack to many assaults – and to the violent imagery which characterizes and reinforces the harmful messages of contemporary pornography. Will claiming ownership of that weaponry really allow us to defuse or disarm it?

It is understandable that some women - faced with having this kind of hate filled language thrown at them on a regular basis - would want to find some way of trying to take the power out of it.  The popularity of Slutwalk and the speed with which it has spread across the world demonstrates a real (and very welcome) desire amongst (primarily) young women and men to change attitudes towards women’s sexuality, and to rape.  It’s a great shame though, that this seems to have taken the focus of ‘it’s ok to be a slut’, reassuring women that if we were raped when dressed or behaving ‘sluttily’ it’s not our fault.  Shouldn’t we be a bit more ambitious than this?  Rather than embracing a concept which has been used to control women’s sexuality for centuries, shouldn’t we be mobilizing to reject it altogether?

Let’s keep our message simple, and say it loudly and clearly - clothing doesn’t cause rape, flirting doesn’t cause rape, drinking doesn’t cause rape.  Rapists do.

There have been 10 comments so far

1. Nic

   04 Aug 11, 11:33pm

   While I understand your point about "taking back the term slut" that is a very small part of slutwalk and in fact not even something all slutwalk's share. SW has one message. Stop Blaming the Victim. Other then that every single SW is different. I like the name and the point. We should get in people's face. Language is powerful. I say let's use it.

2. L

   23 Jun 11, 7:58pm

   Well, I took part in Edinburgh`s Slut Walk on 18/06/11. I got through my terrors, dissociation and flashbacks for a few hours.Aswell as questioning if my instincts (that Slut Walk is a positive movement) were correct, since the masses are so vehemently opposed to it. And it was amazing. Empowered is a feeling I`ve never had before. Minus a few wobbles, I still feel so much stronger. The comeraderie of stangers (some of whom have also been victims of sexual violence) has given me SO MUCH STRENGTH. For example, earier today, things were really tough for me (guilt, self blame, etc) but the memory of "Whatever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and NO MEANS NO" came to mind, and helped push me that wee bit further away from all that negativity. just thought I`d let y`all know my experience of Slut Walk.

3. Estella

   22 Jun 11, 12:52am

   You've hit the ball out the park! Incredible!

4. C

   04 Jun 11, 8:02pm

   Well, todays Slut Walk in Glasgow was a success. Let's hope the numbers will be even higher for the Edinburgh one in a fortnight. I find it really sad that there appears to be an 'us and them' thing going on between mainstream feminism and those organising Slut Walks. There seems to be generational issues, here. Young women may have no idea of women campaigning for the right to contraception a few decades back. So they have not seen themselves as feminists. Then along comes Slut Walk! And brings a whole new generation of young, energetic,media savvy,sexually liberated women prepared to demand the right to be who they are, without being deemed 'sluts'. And good on them. I hope mainstream feminist groups and Slut Walk campaigners see that they are all walking the same walk. Even 'Slutwalking into our own subjection' could be perceived as somewhat divisive language, it saddens me greatly if that is the case, but I hope it is not? C

5. Dorothy Watson

   29 May 11, 8:13pm

   I understand the arguments of Rape Crisis. However, I feel that some women have had enough and that the comments of the Canadian Police Officer and Ken Clarke was the straw that broke the camel's back. It takes one good woman to do do nothing for evil to prevail. The march will highlight this insidious evil perpetuated, in the main, by men.

6. C

   19 May 11, 9:44am

   Ken Clarke (UK justice secretary) made comments yesterday, that are not dissimilar to those made by the Canadian police officer. To me, it proves how important the Slutwalk movement is to the UK.

7. L

   16 May 11, 9:39pm

   Oops, I just noticed I made a bit of a typo in my last post,here. 'I support Slut Walk because I believe we need to stand up against the semantics used to blame us, instead of focusing the blame on the rapist.' I meant to write that we should be focusing the blame on the rapist, rather than on the victims. Apologies for any offence caused. L

8. L

   15 May 11, 10:10am

   The definition of rape is' the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.'And the definition of slut is' an immoral or dissolute woman; prostitute.' Therefore, the remarks made by the Canadian police officer (which are reflective of views held by many in this country) are highly offensive. If I dress as an immoral or dissolute woman, a prostitute, it means that I can be unlawfully compelled through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse? No. I agree that 'slut' is a word that has been used as a weapon to further demean women, especially women who have been raped. I am one of those women. I support Slut Walk because I believe we need to stand up against the semantics used to blame us, instead of focusing the blame on the rapist. Rant over. L

9. C

   15 May 11, 8:48am

   I absolutely agree with the questions raised, here. I am an avid supporter of the Slut Walk movement. I have thought of children,burq'a wearing women and elderly rape victims. The perpetrators may have seen these women and children as 'sluts'. It is a subjective word, used to demean victims of crime further and to excuse perpetrators. Whether perpetrators, society or judicial services seek to excuse rape by deeming some victims as 'sluts' it is important to quash these beliefs. Rape is rape whether the victim is deemed a 'slut' or not.

10. Marsha Scott

    14 May 11, 8:21am

    I'm inclined to agree and think that this protest has taken a side road but we all may still wind up on the highway to liberation! I think where many of us are struggling is with the meaning of "reclaim." Absolutely we never owned the concept or the consequence of "slutness." But there is some resonance in the notion and I think what we're trying to "reclaim" is our own sexual lives. I get to this through a mostly US-based experience of "reclaiming" the word, bitch: I have a button, given to me 15 years ago by a feminist friend, that says "You say 'bitch' like it's a bad thing." The reclamation there is of our own strength and right to speak out.

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