June 30, 2011
Sluts Unite
It does not take a linguistic genius – or a feminist – to recognize that the term “slut” in “SlutWalk” is symbolic, not stereotypical. Reducing this global movement to a singular word in an effort to delegitimize it is precisely the reason these women - and the men who support them - are marching in the first place, be it sporting Bustiers, Board Shorts or Burkas. And if the redefinition of the word slut to signify a woman empowered enough to walk around in whatever she wants without fear of being brutalized is a result, fantastic. But to assume that the international “SlutWalk” phenomenon is only about dressing scantily clad is, quite frankly, as ignorant as a comment made by a police officer that women should not dress like sluts to avoid rape.
Writing an entire article that articulates the prescribed meaning of the word slut is perpetuating the age-old practice of shifting the focus from the perpetrator to the victim. To say nothing of the lack of critical thinking. Further yet, devaluing the work that women are doing by claiming that they are “objectifying” themselves simply represents poor research. It only takes a few clicks of the mouse to find the mantra of the SlutWalk movement: “Because we’ve had enough.” But I suppose that hundreds of thousands of women across the globe have been invalidated by incompetent journalism before. Journalism powered by a patriarchal mindset acting as the beneficiary of the status quo.
As a white woman in India, I certainly recognize the risk in exposing my body. But then again, I am painfully aware of that threat anywhere. I am one of all the women in the world who are in danger on a regular basis simply because she has a vagina. And a vagina is a pre-requisite for being a slut, as well as being treated like one regardless of what you wear. The point here is not that women who “look” like sluts are standing up for themselves or reclaiming rhetoric. Rather, women who are treated like sluts - and judging from this movement there are a lot of us out there - are coming together to speak out about the abuses they endure.
SlutWalk is about speaking truth to power. Announcing to the world that women everywhere are finished with being blamed for the sexual violence that is perpetrated against them. And the term slut is perfectly placed branding. Even if it doesn’t always translate across languages, it is creating dialogue about the presumption that women who are victimized should be taking responsibility for deeply embedded patriarchal violence that most certainly translates across culture. And nationality. And class. And race. And religion. And age. And ability. Not to mention the institutionalized, militarized and state sponsored forms.
It’s true; this movement erupted in the "West." But to rely on the overused argument that white western feminists are imposing their ideals on developing world women and in turn devaluing their concerns is circumventing the issue. Anyone who is versed on the evolution of the feminist movement knows that today’s feminists are hyper-aware of the imposition of ideology. Let us be reminded that the women organizing the events in Mexico City were Mexican women. Just as the women organizing the protest in Delhi are Indian women. They are brave enough to mobilize because they identify with an issue that affects women globally, and this a “genuine problem” indeed.
This movement is about solidarity, not a hierarchy of victimization. Yes, women in India are experiencing a deplorable amount of violence and violation of rights. But the true solutions to those issues are related to a paradigm shift in freedom, not protection. Freedom of mobility. Freedom from fear. Freedom of choice. Freedom from hunger. Freedom from violence. Freedom from exploitation. And yes, that includes freedom to wear whatever the hell we want. The women marching in SlutWalks remind us that women have to fight for those freedoms because we are simply not being protected against losing them; assuming that we had them to begin with.
Let us not forget the painful experience of a woman that led to this global outrage. The condescending, misguided and unsympathetic statement that cheering on the SlutWalkers “because everyone needs a bit of fun, a break from the normal routine, some diversion to liven up their lives,” is frighteningly akin to the justification a man might use to harass a woman on a street corner. And worse, this type of commentary represents the reductionist additude that allows men to rape her.
Brilliant response! Completely agree with what you have said. The movement does not humiliate women by calling them sluts, rather, it draws attention to this burning issue of sexual violence, and sends a clear message that irrespective of how a woman is dressed, a man has NO RIGHT to touch/molest/rape her. Period!
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