May 09, 2011
This weekend, Vancouver puts on her finest leather miniskirt for the SlutWalk
By Michelle Reid
 On January 24th, 2011, a Toronto police officer enraged sexual rights advocates around the world when he told a group of middle school students that women should "avoid dressing like sluts" if they didn't want to be victimized. The response was a SlutWalk, where more than a thousand women and men marched through downtown Toronto in provocative outfits, holding signs that pointed out clothing does not equal consent. The phenomenon has taken off, with SlutWalks springing up all over North America. And on May 15th, we'll be celebrating our own SlutWalk here in Vancouver.
While many are praising SlutWalks for seizing on our zeitgeist of humour-as-political-weapon, I've read a lot of responses to the first SlutWalk that distressed me. Critics are have drawn comparisons that go a lot like, "I wouldn't leave my car unlocked with the windows rolled down in a bad neighbourhood if I didn't want it to get stolen, so don't wear a short skirt if you don't want a man to rape you." This is a bad analogy for a lot of reasons, the least of which is not that my body is not a car. What is the "bad neighbourhood" for women in this scenario, when you consider that rape is most often committed by partners or acquaintances? I would like to live in a world where you can't excuse assault by pointing to the appearance of the victim (I feel strongly about this as a woman and a ginger). As the Facebook event for the Vancouver Slutwalk eloquently puts it, "Calling a woman a slut based on her appearance presupposes that women who dress provocatively are worth less, and deserve less protection."
You can find all the details about Vancouver's SlutWalk on Facebook, and judging by the 3800+ people who have already RSVPed, it's going to be quite the event. I've heard friends saying, "I don't want to march half-naked! I don't want to dress in fishnets! I don't even own fishnets." But that's the beauty of it. We're marching for your right to dress however you want. So come as you are.
Tag(s): Sexual Health, Sexuality Rights, Hello Cool World, Health/Health Advocacy, Gender, Feminism
Recent Blogs by Michelle Reid:
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Michelle is a freelance writer and anthropologist with a Master of Public Health from UBC. Her passions are promoting health and building community. She's worked in grassroots community organizations in Vancouver, Victoria and Oceania.
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