Daniela Valdes
President of FIU NOW
With the 5th annual Miami SlutWalk coming up on April 14 I often get asked if the event is efficient at portraying its message or if we simply like to gather around in pasties and ripped up stockings for a couple hours. My answer to those students and to anyone plagued with doubts about supporting women-identifying folks carrying signs that read “END RAPE CULTURE” is that the controversy that surrounds this event shows us exactly why it is still very much needed. There is no default woman.
We are complex, intricate individuals that have various modes of expression. At our yearly SlutWalk, we’ve seen attendants wear anything from jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to bright pink underwear and a colorful bralette. This diversity of expression is what makes the event so incredible—that the word “slut” holds a different relationship with everyone that joins the movement. The reality is that if you have an issue with the provocative attire some choose to wear—you need to ask yourself where your internalized misogyny comes from.
Rape and sexual assault do not discriminate, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, what your gender identity is or how you choose to carry yourself in social situations. We often have this idea of a rapist being a shadowy figure in a dark alley waiting to strike an unsuspecting victim. We do not imagine our partners, our friends and acquaintances, or our very own family members perpetuating abuse.
Movements centered on victim empowerment are aimed at breaking down our pre-conceived notions of what a victim and a perpetrator look like while fostering a healthy community for like-minded individuals. Those who diminish or berate the SlutWalk for being nothing but women in flashy costumes—whether intentionally or not—are contributing to a system that thinks less of victims who were not their idea of pristine, orderly individuals.
If you respect the girl with the black turtleneck sweater, you must extend the same respect to the girl wearing a tube top and high heels. Failing to do this proves that you don’t actually care about any sexual assault victims—you care about policing their behavior. The SlutWalk empowers women to take back (if they so choose) a word that has been historically used to oppress and devalue them. So yes, as long as the victim blaming mentality is alive and well, so will the Miami SlutWalk.
Letters to the Editor are not written by Panther Press Staff. They are submitted by readers of Panther Press. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Maria Lorenzino.
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