Words carry meaning. And while I’ve read through the overarching theme of the Slut Walk and its mission to dispel slut shaming and victim blaming, I can’t seem to get with the cause in its entirety. Sorry, but I’m not sorry.
We live in this world where we are constantly trying to “take back” words and redefine their meanings. The n-word has evolved from a horrid word/ bedrock of the institution of racism to what some would call a term of endearment. And while an overwhelming majority of black popular culture accepts and utilizes this word, there are still rules as to who can use it, when it’s appropriate, and under what circumstance
So when a topless white woman holds a sign at a slut walk that reads, “Woman is the N*gger of the world,” is that a healthy display of intersectionality? Is her statement political enough to be acceptable or is it offensive?
There’s always a fine line.
Which brings me Amber Rose’s LA Slut Walk, her own version of the Toronto-based movement that has since expanded. I’ve taken time to digest and analyze why I am so turned off by Amber Rose’s slutwalk. The word “slut” carries various meanings for various people. Busty women, strippers, gay women and black women all experience the word differently. While I could add a few other qualifiers to the previous sentence, it is safe to say that slut, carrying its original definition or a reclaimed one, is received differently on an individual basis. The word itself matters.
Slut versus pimp: One word is regarded with more negativity than the other in modern pop culture. And even still, my issues lies in the fact that both are characterized by behaviors that shouldn’t be celebrated at all. I am not talking about your given right to engage in copious amounts of safe consensual sex as often as you please. I am referencing the depravity attributed to a slut who carelessly offers her body. I am referencing the debauched nature of a pimp, who solicits sex for profit. These are literal translations, according the Merriam-Webster dictionary, of the words. And for black women, who are too often over-sexualized and regarded/ addressed as body parts, a reclamation of the word slut is a difficult feat.
Tipdrill, But-her-face, thot, broad.
Words carry meaning, as does the movement. As much as I’m here for the essence of Rose’s cause, the vocabulary surrounding it may potentially add (or subtract) people from the conversation; people that should be a part of the conversation for the right reasons (i.e. men). If there’s a way to reconcile the vocabulary and the essence of the Slut Walk, I do hope it will come to pass. At her core, Amber Rose means well and is definitely stirring some much-needed conversation.
All the while, I find myself coexisting between two camps. One camp praises Amber Rose for pioneering the LA Slut Walk. This camp realizes that the walk incorporates issues surrounding rape culture, double standards, and feminism that deserve attention and substantial conversation. However, the “slut walk” epithet might be off-putting and close many seemingly open minds.
Cue the other camp. This group of people aren’t moved by the celebration of the stripper/lady-of-the-night lifestyle nor her issues. This line of work has carried negative connotations for ages. I know of women who strip to put themselves through college; I also know those who pride themselves of booking private rooms (aka the gray area of stripping). So is it realistic to want to ascribe total positivity to this profession, and the issues that arise from it, by promoting said Slut Walk?
I personally don’t think so.
