Slut Walk

Demonstrations with the attention-grabbing name of “Slut Walk” began in Canada in response to a police officer advising women that they’d be safer if they did not dress like sluts.  The intent of this advice was to help women be safe, but it sounded like he was blaming the victim, which has historically occurred with the crime of rape.  This same sentiment was voiced recently by a Philadelphia-area journalist regarding the brutal assault in Egypt of reporter Lara Larson, despite her having been dressed conservatively at that time.

Why is the victim blamed in the crime of rape but the victim is not blamed in the crime of robbery?  When someone is robbed, the crime is not taken less seriously if the victim was wearing expensive clothes or if the victim was driving a Mercedes or BMW.  Why not?  It they didn’t flaunt their wealth, perhaps they wouldn’t get robbed.  Using the same logic that’s used with rape, they were asking to be robbed because their clothes and car sent the message that they had money.

But it’s not about clothing – it’s about power and control, about dominance.

Women are raped when they dare to be more independent than the patriarchal attitudes allow.  Women are attacked when walking alone, no matter what they’re wearing, especially in certain countries or neighborhoods.  It’s not about what women wear, it’s about control. Women are raped in some countries when covered head to toe because they dare go to school.  Rape is one of the weapons used during war.  Rape is used to establish dominance, whether of a husband over his wife or of one prison inmate over another or of men that do not want women to have certain freedoms. 

There’s been much debate about whether what women wear when participating in the Slut Walk demonstration interferes with the message.  For some observers it might – but they’d probably not get the message, no matter how it’s presented.  Women should have the right to wear whatever they want without fear of sexual violence.  The perpetrator is to blame for this crime.  No one should have the right to rape women because their clothing is considered “seductive” any more than anyone should have the right to rob someone who’s wearing a designer business suit that sends the message that the wearer has money.  Both are crimes, and the perpetrator, not the victim, should be punished.