“You Know Who the Sluts Are”: A Qualitative Analysis of the “SlutWalk” ()
ABSTRACT
In 2011, third-wave
feminist activists initiated the “SlutWalk”, a protest march drawing attention
to victim blaming and rape myths. The word “slut” has evolved within the
context of a discourse of power and, by reaffirming categories of “good” and
“bad” women, been used to justify sexual assault. The current study used three
focus groups (men only, n= 2; women
only, n= 7; mixed, n= 6 [3 men/3 women]) to explore
Canadian undergraduate students’ views on the meaning and use of the term “slut”,
and to gauge whether participants saw the “SlutWalk” as a valuable form of feminist
political action. Data were examined using Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis (IPA). Results indicated that the term “slut” was perceived as
negative; more applicable to women than to men; and based on having an
“inappropriate” appearance and/or engaging in sex-related behaviour perceived
to be “inappropriate”. The underlying message of the “SlutWalk” was sanctioned
by discussants. However, support for the event itself was minimal suggesting
that, contrary to opinions expressed by some academics, participants did not
regard the “SlutWalk” as embodying a politics of re-signification.
Share and Cite:
Morrison, T. , Bertram, J. , Ryan, T. and Bishop, C. (2014) “You Know Who the Sluts Are”: A Qualitative Analysis of the “SlutWalk”.
Advances in Applied Sociology,
4, 180-189. doi:
10.4236/aasoci.2014.47022.