3. Slut Stories:
Layered Narratives of
SlutWalk Participants
Jennifer Seifert

4. • Jan. 24th, 2011 York University (Toronto- Canada)
• “I’m told I’m not supposed to say this, but women should
avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” -
Michael Sangunientti
• April 3rd, 2011 first SlutWalk – 4000 people in attendance
• 13 countries including, New Zealand, South
Africa, India, Singapore, Israel, Nepal, and the United
States
History

5. • “creating grassroots models of leadership, using strategic
humor, building feminist identity, sharing stories, and
resisting stereotyped labels” (Sowards and Renegar,
2007, p. 338).
• Understand participants motivations for involvement
• What messages are participants communicating in their
participation
• How participants envision feminism
Research Question?

6. • 67 participants – 64 women and 3 men
• Participants ranged in 18 – 56 years (M = 26.06)
• Predominantly Caucasian:
• Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Greek, Australian,
British, Chilean, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Latina, Mutt
• All adults who participated in a SlutWalk
• Chicago, Seattle, Portland, London SlutWalks represented
• Open ended questions administered Qualtrics
• Contacted SlutWalk organizations for permission to post
on their Facebook pages
Study Design

7. • Do you identify as a feminist? Why or why not?
• Please tell me the story of how you came to participate in
SlutWalk?
• What message were you trying to convey through your
participation in SlutWalk?
• How do/would you respond to someone who doesn’t
agree with or understand why you participate in
SlutWalk?
Questions

8. • Specific Themes • General Themes
• Feminism • Relationships
• Controversy • Education
• Motivation • Word “Slut”
• Inspiration • Experience
Themes

9. “No because I’m a man”
“Yes. To me, the word "feminist"
indicates a person who believes
in and advocates for the legal,
“I dislike the man-hating, not-
social, and economic equality of
shaving, bitter woman associations
men and women. I think it's
of the word "feminist" so I try to
important for this definition to
avoid it as much as possible around
be re-claimed, as it has been
greatly distorted in popular most people I meet for the first
media.” time. That being said, I do consider
myself a modern feminist and
Reclamation openly call myself one from time to
time.”
Feminism – Label
Resistance

10. I do not. I identify as an ally (I
am a MSM so I feel like it's
I don't. I am a humanist. I
harder for me to feminist
believe in equal rights for
identify).
all.
“I don't really think of myself as a
feminist. I don't think that I as a
No. I identify as an women deserve anything more or
less than a man, because this doesn't
activist. I am active in take into account transgender
changing the world. issues. I am more for equal human
rights. Regardless of gender
everyone deserves to be treated
with respect and compassion.”
Feminism – Label

11. “I try to explain how clothing doesn't
increase or decrease the odds of one “it creates a great start to a
being raped. Tell them stories of all conversation about why and exactly
the rape survivors who were wering where we cross the line into victim
[sic] sweats, bagging jeans, burkas, blaming. It also creates opportunities
onesies with footies as babies. Help to highlight where we as a society
them explore the concept of victim- accept rape as happenstance and
blaming and the myths surrounding "understandable" and how very many
rape being about lust or self-control. places in media and entertainment we
/ Compare to concept of Take Back glorify rape and objectify women
the Night - which has a similar without even realizing it. When
message, but people seem generally people don't understand why I walk it
okay. / Explain that it (the march) gives me a chance to talk about WHY
alone will not stop rape, but is needed I MUST.”
to start discussion in other to change
the culture that allows and jokes
about sexual assault.”
Conversation Starter
Rhetorical Moves
Controversy -

12. “The main thing I find people While I dress modestly myself, it
object to is the reclaiming of the is not acceptable for society to
word "slut." They cannot get past bully someone or label them
its negative connotations, and that based upon appearances.
right there is the reason the word Extending that to point where we
needs to be reclaimed. When connect their attire to their attack
there is an equivalent pejorative is outrageous and Sluwalk sends
applied to males, with the same that message too. It obviously
level of negativity and implied took the word "Slut" in the title of
superiority, then the word will our march to get the publics
have served its purpose.” attention. They sure didn't listen
to our tears and our personal pain.
Reclamation Consciousness Raising
The word “slut”

13. “I had been a member of a church for nearly 2 decades, when I
went to a leader to tell them I had been raped he was very nice,
and comforting, the next day I was told I needed to move out of
the church housing, a week later I was asked to stop teaching
Sunday school. They kept saying it was only until I went through
counseling, and then someone finished the sentence, all along
they had believed that I was at fault for my own rape, in fact they
believed it was not rape, but choice, and that I called it rape so
my boyfriend would not think I cheated on him. I spent a nearly
two years hiding from the rape afraid that that would be
everyones response, and then started getting help. Even with my
many disabilities knowing that there is a movement I need to be
involved, keep the next girl from what happened to me.”
Experience

14. As a female and an sexual That what happened to
abuse survivor, my me was NOT my fault.
message is that it was not
my fault. It took many
years for me to realize To challenge the premise that
a sexual assault victim "asked
that. Victim blaming for it." To show support to my
needs to be stopped. sister who was raped.
Experience

15. “I'm stronger than I
“That what happened to think I am. I'm not the
me was NOT my fault.” only person that has
gone through this”
“That victim blaming and "slut shaming" are
unnaccpetable responses to rape. We need to hold
ourselves and each other responsible for this wrongly
assigned burden of obligation and guilt. It is the first
step in correcting our legal system and how it treats
victims and predators.”
Experience

16. Status…