A new protest movement sparked by policeman Michael Sanguinetti's advice to women students to "avoid dressing like sluts" to stay safe on the streets has taken off in the US and Canada.
Thousands of people are taking part in marches, or 'SlutWalks', whose aim, organisers say, is to highlight a culture in which the victim rather than rapist or abuser is blamed.
Some 3,000 people took part in the first "SlutWalk" in Toronto last month. The SlutWalk Toronto website said the aim of the movement is to "re-appropriate" the world slut.
A march took place in Boston on Saturday, whilst other cities in the States and in Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden have hosted the protests.
A march is planned for London next month, and 'SlutWalks' a growing movement online.
Sam Adams 76 posts on Free Republic.comSo now we have yet another class of victim - women who dress like sluts and are apparently upset because some guys are not acting like gentlemen around them and are not treating them with the proper decorum and respect. This "movement" also insults the victims of rape. Most rape victims are not "sluts" and would never walk the streets of Boston in fishnet stockings and bras.
From patman023.wordpress.comWhat matters is that every woman, from a street sex worker to a Member of Parliament, has the right to safe public space and the right to withdraw consent at any point without fear of violence, no matter how she dressed, no matter her history, no matter her reputation. Every woman has the right to say no. Even "sluts". And I think that Edmonton SlutWalk will be a positive contribution toward this conversation.
But Gail Dines and Wendy J Murphy write that SlutWalk is not sexual liberation. Women need to take to the streets to condemn violence, but not for the right to be called 'slut'.
Does the Toronto police officer have a point, or should women have the right to wear whatever they want? And are 'SlutWalks' the right way to go about sending out the message that victims of sexual asault should never be blamed for what happens to them? What do you think?
What's with all the men @bbc_whys chiming in to explain how women should dress? What about women's autonomy?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:15
117784443
@大象传媒_whys I can't believe that so many men are willing to blame their weaknesses on women
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:15
117784371
@大象传媒_WHYS Clothing choices have NO impact on the risk of rape. That is factually incorrect.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:15
116090952
@大象传媒_WHYS and @RosAtkins treading tired waters. Slutty clothes does nothing to increase chance of rape. Why waste time on that issue. *sigh*
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:10
117784370
@大象传媒_WHYS what do you make of all the men jumping on this bandwagon declaring their love of sluts?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:10
117784371
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: If hir sexual behaviour/choice of clothing makes hir a slut, there's nothing wrong with the word, nothing wrong at all.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:10
117784371
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: A person's clothing or # of sexual partners should have no effect on hir right to bodily autonomy and safety #SlutWalk
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:10
117784370
@JessicaValenti @bbc_whys because young "feminists" calling women sluts is part of rape culture.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:07
117784371
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: A person's clothing or # of sexual partners should have no effect on her right to bodily autonomy and safety #SlutWalk
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:07
117784370
@大象传媒_WHYS Why do slutwalkers feel that embracing oppressive words & behavior subverts the meaning of them? What happened to liberation?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:07
117784369
.@bbc_whys Question for Gail Dines & anti-SlutWalkers. Why not spend time attacking rape culture instead of young feminist activism?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:07
115877115
#slutwalk seems to have a real raison d'etre! Am going to listen in on @大象传媒_WHYS tonite!
Comment sent via SMS
18:06
108470449
Is the police officer suggesting that if I see a guy in the park wearing just his shorts, no shirt, it absolutely makes sense that I jump on him, rip those cute shorts off him and satisfy myself? Hana Z, Prague
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:02
115950386
Going on @bbc_whys NOW to talk #SlutWalk with Dines, Jarvis & Walker. Call in or participate online!
On air: SlutWalks
| Tuesday, 5 May 2011 | 17:18 - 20:00 GMT
A new protest movement sparked by policeman Michael Sanguinetti's advice to women students to "avoid dressing like sluts" to stay safe on the streets has taken off in the US and Canada.
Thousands of people are taking part in marches, or 'SlutWalks', whose aim, organisers say, is to highlight a culture in which the victim rather than rapist or abuser is blamed.
Some 3,000 people took part in the first "SlutWalk" in Toronto last month. The SlutWalk Toronto website said the aim of the movement is to "re-appropriate" the world slut.
A march took place in Boston on Saturday, whilst other cities in the States and in Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden have hosted the protests.
A march is planned for London next month, and 'SlutWalks' a growing movement online.
Sam Adams 76 posts on Free Republic.comSo now we have yet another class of victim - women who dress like sluts and are apparently upset because some guys are not acting like gentlemen around them and are not treating them with the proper decorum and respect. This "movement" also insults the victims of rape. Most rape victims are not "sluts" and would never walk the streets of Boston in fishnet stockings and bras.
From patman023.wordpress.comWhat matters is that every woman, from a street sex worker to a Member of Parliament, has the right to safe public space and the right to withdraw consent at any point without fear of violence, no matter how she dressed, no matter her history, no matter her reputation. Every woman has the right to say no. Even "sluts". And I think that Edmonton SlutWalk will be a positive contribution toward this conversation.
But Gail Dines and Wendy J Murphy write that SlutWalk is not sexual liberation. Women need to take to the streets to condemn violence, but not for the right to be called 'slut'.
Does the Toronto police officer have a point, or should women have the right to wear whatever they want? And are 'SlutWalks' the right way to go about sending out the message that victims of sexual asault should never be blamed for what happens to them? What do you think?
Your comments
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
What's with all the men @bbc_whys chiming in to explain how women should dress? What about women's autonomy?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_whys I can't believe that so many men are willing to blame their weaknesses on women
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS Clothing choices have NO impact on the risk of rape. That is factually incorrect.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS and @RosAtkins treading tired waters. Slutty clothes does nothing to increase chance of rape. Why waste time on that issue. *sigh*
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS what do you make of all the men jumping on this bandwagon declaring their love of sluts?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: If hir sexual behaviour/choice of clothing makes hir a slut, there's nothing wrong with the word, nothing wrong at all.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: A person's clothing or # of sexual partners should have no effect on hir right to bodily autonomy and safety #SlutWalk
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@JessicaValenti @bbc_whys because young "feminists" calling women sluts is part of rape culture.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS The point: A person's clothing or # of sexual partners should have no effect on her right to bodily autonomy and safety #SlutWalk
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@大象传媒_WHYS Why do slutwalkers feel that embracing oppressive words & behavior subverts the meaning of them? What happened to liberation?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
.@bbc_whys Question for Gail Dines & anti-SlutWalkers. Why not spend time attacking rape culture instead of young feminist activism?
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
#slutwalk seems to have a real raison d'etre! Am going to listen in on @大象传媒_WHYS tonite!
Comment sent via SMS
Is the police officer suggesting that if I see a guy in the park wearing just his shorts, no shirt, it absolutely makes sense that I jump on him, rip those cute shorts off him and satisfy myself? Hana Z, Prague
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
Going on @bbc_whys NOW to talk #SlutWalk with Dines, Jarvis & Walker. Call in or participate online!
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
#Slutwalk debate on @大象传媒_WHYS happening now