A few days ago, I went to Stomp to look for news on some drug bust my BF was telling me about. I didn't find any, but instead I saw photos of the Slut Walk in Singapore.
The protest march originally started in Toronto, Canada, after a police officer said that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like 'sluts'.
First... I think the police officer made a flippant remark. Stop dressing like sluts and you won't get raped. This is nonsense. How come children and old people get raped too then?
But if you're not happy with the officer's remark, put pressure on the police, ask him/her to retract what he/she said. Taking to the streets in an indignant protest isn't going to help solve anything. It won't lessen the number of rape cases.
Plus, encouraging women to just dress however "sluttish" they want to is definitely not going to help lessen the number of rape cases, I am sure.
If I got raped (*touch wood*).... whether people go around spreading the word that dressing like a slut doesn't mean I am to be blamed or not.... will not make me feel better! Fuck you, I was raped, bitch. Don't go around parading like you're some kind of martyr for a great cause.
Also, why are you calling this the SLUT WALK? By definition, a Slut is -
" pejorative term applied to an individual who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous."
Dressing sexy does not make one a slut. Just like wearing nerdy glasses does not make you intelligent.
But the Slut walk here.. people turned up in regular clothes because -"The idea was not to vamp it up, because women can get raped regardless of what they are wearing," said co-organiser Vanessa Ho.
Huh? What's this?
So what's the point of this whole event? So boring. No impact. Not something that people will be talking about for months to come (well, not in a good way at least). The response is lukewarm at best. And the message? I'm not sure what it was...
yes, give those flyers out girl... spread the message!
Hmmm.....
My message to my readers is it is not the woman's fault for getting raped, but don't make yourself an easy victim.
I will dress as sexily as I want to. But if I feel unsafe, or will be in a place I don't feel secure in, either I won't go there or I will take necessary precautions (e.g. be escorted) and dress more conservatively. This is common sense. I will dress based on my common sense, regardless of whatever movement, or whatever some police officer said (probably without much thought) in freaking TORONTO. Get a life!
well i feel that a majority (not all) of ppl who dress really sexily (by that i mean they show off a lot of skin. e.g. wear really tight mini shorts with their asses hanging out, etc) tend to be rather sexually promiscuous + they really are making themselves an easier target.
ReplyDeleteif a guy is really horny and has rape as an intention and he saw 2 girls, 1 who has almost nothing on opposed to 1 who's decently dressed, he'll obviously go for the sluttily-dressed one.
we can't completely blame a girl who gets raped if she was dressed indecently but she is to be blamed to a certain extent for garnering such attention in the first place. of course, there're many rape victims who were decently dressed. i'm just saying that if you were more indecently dressed, chances are higher of you garnering some not wanted attention and risk a higher chance of being molested or raped.
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ReplyDeletewell said, Holly. i thought i was the only one who thought of the Slut Walk that way. it is indeed nonsensical. i do not get what message they are trying to bring across either. :/ it's kind of a disgrace to have this Slut Walk, i feel.
ReplyDeleteDearies, instead of showing off your ignorance, try reading up more on what the movement's message is. Hint: 4.25pm Anon's comment is the very societal attitude the movement is trying to correct.
ReplyDeleteoh, we do know what this movement is about. We just don't think the organisers of this event in Singapore did their homework.
ReplyDeleteSeems THEY don't know the real message of the SlutWalk, and the whole event is a mishmash that has no clear message.
Holly,
ReplyDeleteYour remarks are not surprising.
No one can support rape.
Rape is a crime, and there is no way to justify the action.
OTOH, women for years have been trying to get more respect for who they are, not how they look, for their brains instead of being judged by their legs or breast.
As many have mentioned, what do far to many girls do when they go out.
The dress like sluts. Skirts far to short, dresses short and tight, shorts that leave little to the imagination.
A recent study shows that women react to other women dressed in provocative clothing, (skimpy-sexy), women show aggressive behaviour towards provocatively dressed female peers, a University of Ottawa study suggests.
Read it on Global News: Global Montreal | Women are aggressive towards provocatively dressed peers: study
Other studies have shown that males do judge skimply dressed women to be less smart.
This is an ongoing world wide debate that you appear to have just discovered.
One example cited is the sexualization of ever younger girls.
A well known store started selling padded bikini tops targeted at 7 to 9 year old girls.
Last year a dance troupe of girls aged 9-12 danced a routine in a competition that featured a great deal of bumping and grinding.
Most doubt the little girls realized the suggestive sexual meaning of pelvic thrust but many adults were very upset.
Holly, you often show photos of yourself that sexy, but most often tasteful without being slutty.
I cannot remember seeing you butt cheeks, any camel toe or the top crack of your butt.
However one can go into most clubs and see all that many horny males desire.
What should anyone think of girls who dress so minimaly?
Society has gone very far towards the anything goes, attitude.
Girls have to take personal responsibility for how the world percieves them. Just all men, no matter how aroused, never have an excuse to rape a women, no matter how she is dressed. Even a naked or near naked female is not an invitation to rape.
Do you remember what happened to one unfortunate SG girl last new year eve?
David
Agree with you that Slutwalk don't make sense.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't in places like Saudi or Qatar where woman have no rights.
I think what woman need to do is to fight for rights in the workplace, especially when they are pregnant.
In public sector, pregnant woman are well taken care of.
But in private sector, you see woman trying their best not to conceive else they may lose their job!
Anon 4:25 - You obviously do not understand that a woman is raped NOT because she dressed provocatively. Rape is about having power over someone else. A rapist needs to feel that he is powerful and does this by raping someone who is in a easy vulnerable position - does not matter who it is or how the person is dressed.
ReplyDeleteYour article seem to have been written out of ignorance for the true meaning behind the movement. Having said that, the organizers of Slut Walk Sg have also done a pretty bad job getting the true message across. Had they been able to do that effectively, less people will perceive the movement as you have. But the reason the organizer could not better educate the public on the meaning of the movement could be due to some government red tape. The police initially refused them a permit for the walk even though it will be held at hong lim park just like pink dot.
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:57,
ReplyDelete"Agree with you that Slutwalk don't make sense.
We aren't in places like Saudi or Qatar where woman have no rights."
That's complete nonsense. Are you trying to say that because Singaporean women have more "rights" than said women in more restricted regions, rape does not happen? Just because not all rape cases are publicized doesn't mean Slutwalk Singapore "don't make sense".
Anyway, Holly Jean,
"First... I think the police officer made a flippant remark."
"But if you're not happy with the officer's remark, put pressure on the police, ask him/her to retract what he/she said."
The police officer's "flippant remark" is reflective of precisely the attitude that the whole event aims to change. Forcing the man to retract his statement does as much good as telling a rape victim IT IS OKAY IF HE SAYS SORRY.
"Don't go around parading like you're some kind of martyr for a great cause."
"If I got raped (*touch wood*).... whether people go around spreading the word that dressing like a slut doesn't mean I am to be blamed or not.... will not make me feel better!"
Actually, statistics show that many rape victims blame themselves for their rapes precisely because of the messed up attitude society scums hold: that they are to be blamed because they were wearing whateverwhatever. It is important to many people, especially rape victims, to acknowledge and know that they aren't to be blamed for their rapes.
What is your point in dissing the SG-held event? That it's a badly-organised event? That's all? Do yourself a favour and learn MORE about Slut Walk before you try to comment, okay?
A rapist is 90% statistically likely to know the victim, is a friend of the victim, and normally done it in the heat of passion.
ReplyDeleteThe 10% are normally serial rapist, and usually kill, kidnap, or incapacitate the victim in the process.
Though clothing choice will factor in into provoking the action, it is not the real reason why women are raped.
Like how Anon 2:43pm puts it. Its the power fantasy of the initiator. Clothing choice doesn't determine whether a conservative or 'slut-dressed' girl gets rape. Its the location and people she is with. It only increases the chances.
However, the local organizers of slutwalk has far more work to do to organize a 'protest'. Unfocused and more like jumping on the bandwagon, most people are smart enough to realize that this 'protest' isn't much without some tearful pictures and megaphones, to spur the emotional human in all of us.
i think the name slut walk is appropriate for this movement because it is about women's freedom. that even a woman who chooses a promiscuous lifestyle does not deserve to be raped. the former is a choice and willingness, the latter is forced and against her will.
ReplyDeleteRape has very little to do with being 'horny' and much more to do with feelings of Power. Oftentimes men who feel 'psychologically impotent' use rape to assert themselves over someone else (whether in their household or otherwise).
ReplyDeleteSlutWalk was meant to highlight the message that it is NOT ok to blame the rape victim because in doing so, you shift blame off the rapist and in a sense, excuse them for this terrible crime.
there is NEVER an excuse for rape - "she made me feel horny and i cldn't stop myself. i'm a guy after all", "Anyway, she's a slut and she had sex before so it's ok for me to have sex with her what" are commonly heard excuses that rapists use. but this is Not Right and should not be condoned.
I can understand your frustration with SlutWalk; i do feel it was not a great way to get the message across. But i hope you use your blog to do a more informed post later on, once you've learnt a little more on this topic.
It's not an easy topic but i think there are certain black and white facts - forcing yourself on someone else is Never ok. self discipline is what separates humans from the other animals.
Holly Jean,
ReplyDeleteSurprised you have not responded to all the comments on such an important topic.
I trust you are thinking about how horrible and cruel rape is. To many women around the world are victimized simply because they are female.
The ongoing social discussion of the increasingly slutty dress that many young women wear is really a sidebar. Yet how women dress is important in how young women view themselves.
Do to many young girls see themselves as merely a sexual commodity that depends on how sexy they appear to lusting males?
Or can young girls be shown by example that sex is important part of life, but not sole measure of a girls female value.
What does Holly Jean think? ? ?
Hello David,
ReplyDeleteI did read all the comments above, but didn't feel like repeating myself.
My stand on rape is still the same.
- Yes, Rape is wrong.
- No, it is not the victim's fault.
- But it wouldn't hurt to exercise some common sense .... and dress according to the situation/venue and how safe u feel abt the place.
And my point of the post- The Slut Walk event held in Singapore was kind of blah.
---------------
To answer your questions
Do to many young girls see themselves as merely a sexual commodity that depends on how sexy they appear to lusting males?
Yes and no. Yes, thanks to the media, and what we keep portraying as attractive to the male gaze.
No- because many young girls now, dress for their peers. Not for male lust. I think it's changing, sluttish clothes are not tht desirable anymore (not because of rape.. but because it's just tacky).
- Can young girls be shown by example that sex is important part of life but not a sole measure of a girl's value?
Of course. Some are exposed to such examples more than others. Can we have a campaign to bring this across? yes. But it would definitely not be this Slut Walk.
Basically. I am not a big fan of the slut walk.