My Body My Mind

               The first SlutWalk came into being as a reaction to the Toronto Police Froce's view on sexual assault. An officer had been speaking at a local law school's campus safety information session and advised: "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized”. Toronto locals demanded an apology and explanation but received neither. They were tired of victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and sexual profiling and policing and without a word of remorse from the police force, they organized an event where their voices could be heard. 

                On their website they give, in detail, why they decided to react in such a way: "Historically, the term ‘slut’ has carried a predominantly negative connotation. Aimed at those who are sexually promiscuous, be it for work or pleasure, it has primarily been women who have suffered under the burden of this label. And whether dished out as a serious indictment of one’s character or merely as a flippant insult, the intent behind the word is always to wound, so we’re taking it back. “Slut” is being re-appropriated." (http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/about/why)

               Upon taking my first Women's and Gender Studies class at Rutgers University I was assigned the task of creating a social action project. I've always been one to have lofty goals and try to achieve more than may be feasible given constraints such as time, but that's never stopped me from trying. Since my task was to implement a SOCIAL ACTION project, I'd be damned if I didn't do something as active and in your face as possible so in the fall semester of my Junior year I attempted to host a SlutWalk at Rutgers. I can admit that I was very naive in my aspirations but I had a very eager and helpful group of girls assisting me on my project.

               Turnout the day of the walk was much less than expected but if our efforts could have made a difference in one person's life it was all worth it. Despite this, a friend of mine that attended the walk provided me with a megaphone, which I was totally unprepared to use but definitely helped us gather some attention even as a small group. During this time in my life I was still adjusting to being more vocal and while I had big opinions, I wasn't always comfortable with voicing them in the most noticeable way (you'll notice there is a slight awkwardness in the way I speak in the video).To this day I still feel awkward watching myself on film and listening to myself try to voice my opinions to the public. While I may never grow out of that I am so proud of where I have ended up and I believe that this was a big stepping stone in my life that got me to where I am today.

               I can honestly say I am proud of our efforts that day. Initially I was extremely disappointed with the turnout and almost wanted to give up, but walking from Cook/Douglass to the steps of Brower on College Avenue, megaphone blaring, felt really empowering. I stood up for something I believe in and took up a leadership role to try to make an idea of mine a reality. My time spent working on this project helped me become more comfortable with myself. Being able to voice my opinion on such a level made me feel like I had more control and this mentality has carried over into other aspects of my life. No one can stop me from saying what I want, from feeling the way that I feel, or from loving my body and my mind. People's misconceptions shouldn't matter. It's okay to speak out and it's okay to look different from what mainstream society may expect, it is more important to foster acceptance and understanding.            

               With that in mind, take a look at the video I've posted. It was filmed by a friend that was in a different Women's and Gender studies class at the time who turned my project into one of her own. She created a video that gives you some clips from that day as well as a brief explanation of the walk and even some Q&A between the two of us. While it is edited, it is still a pretty raw documentation of the experience.