Slutwalk Research Paper

There’s a new “movement” sweeping the globe.

Is it human rights protests for Darfur? No. Are middle- and lower-income class US citizens protesting the ever-growing economic disparity? No. Is it the protests for demanding the end of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere? No. Is it people fighting for their right to affordable healthcare? No. Is it working class people trying to protect their collective bargaining rights? No. Are college students protesting outrageous tuition costs and predatory lending practices? No.

There are a number of women worldwide who are organizing events called SlutWalks to fight for their rights to dress, well, like sluts. SlutWalks began in Canada and are now spreading, much like a virus, to the UK
Held in the form of rallies, marches, parades , an international series of Slutwalk is a demonstration to protest against women stereotyping.

Participants of slutwalk rallies across the world protest the sexual violence against women and more importantly the blame-the victim mentality or social habit of blaming of victims of sexual harassment for the violence perpetrated towards them.

It is a demonstration of frustration and anger in women across the world at the notion of explaining or justifying rape or sexual assault of a woman by linking it to any aspect of a woman’s appearance.

Slutwalk has become a global movement to increase dialogue and raise awareness about prevalent attitudes in our society that blame the victim in the cases of sexual assault. It campaigns the against the ideas that victim of an assault asks for it by dressing or behaving in a certain indignified manner.

How It All Began? – History of
Hence, SlutWalk: Women and men taking to the streets to demand accountability from the Toronto police. Its goals were small and local focused; its message was equally simple and unequivocal. However, what stood out was its branding.

Nearly 3000-4000 people gathered at Queen’s Park, Toronto on April 3, 2011 to protest. The rally began with condemn speeches and then moved on to the Toronto Police Headquarters.

The movement demanded that those willing to participate in the march should be willing to identify as ‘sluts or allies’. And though women were requested to turn up in everyday attire symbolizing the ordinary women getting assaulted everyday in ordinary life. Many of the protesters dressed up provocatively in revealing outfits to brand themselves as sluts. The idea quickly spread to include many cities across the globe. Slutwalk protest co- founders Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis decided to use the word ‘slut’ to slamback, observing that the term ‘slut’ has had negative connotations and they want to redeem the term. Sonya and Heather state that women “are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a