It’s undeniable that the current political world we live in is constructed to hinder women’s lives, and it is time we take a stand against this outdated cultural norm.

We have middle-aged prunes of politicians in D.C. fighting for their self-entitled right to govern women’s bodies through regulating abortion and birth control. The treatment of Planned Parenthood is an example – an organization that provides services such as cancer screenings, birth control, sex education, and general healthcare for millions of women, is constantly being attacked by far-right activists and politicians.

Women are sexually assaulted and raped on college campuses with little to no radical changes being made in our general culture to protect them, nor to increase their chances of receiving justice.

As a woman, it is difficult to trust this government as a structure that is invested in helping us. This is a radical statement, but it is not one that is based off of a handful of loose straws. This is a reality that women live each and every day – and more often than not, with seemingly no way out.

Because of this, specific spaces that are made to assist women in their struggle – both as existing beings and as political thinkers – are crucial and necessary.

There are marches, there are protests, there are radical forms of pushback against the violence and silencing of women here and globally that exist specifically for those purposes.They do exist, but, unfortunately, people are sometimes unaware of these spaces.

Needless to say, awareness of these kinds of spaces is incredibly important – and with this specific issue, there is an opportunity to talk about some spaces that are not as common in conversation.

So, without further ado, I now introduce the SlutWalk.

“Whoa, wait!” you say. “SlutWalk? How does that help anything when it is named after a word used against women?”

For those of you with this in mind, hang in there for the next couple hundred words – it’ll pass faster than you think.

SlutWalk is a global feminist movement that protests the treatment of sexual assault survivors, and points out the flawed political structures and ideologies that form much of the suffering that victims encounter after sexual assault.

SlutWalk draws its name from a slur in order to reclaim and repurpose the word for a project of empowerment instead of a culture of degradation. The politics of this is that when an object of power is taken from the oppressor and appropriated by the targeted marginalized community, the oppressive power has been transformed into one of liberation.

SlutWalks began in Toronto in 2011 following a comment from a “Toronto Police Services officer perpetuating rape myths by stating ‘women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized,’” according to SlutWalk Toronto.

Since the original march, SlutWalk has spread to more than 200 communities in North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The popularity of the SlutWalk attests to women’s global experience with sexual assault, rape, and the consequent shaming surrounding their victimization.

Women can wear whatever they want at a SlutWalk, and for whatever reason. Women use this space to protest, to connect, and to strengthen themselves and others. SlutWalks are a place of proactive healing through action for survivors.

These spaces are necessary in the conversation about sex: in both examining it as a political subject and as a personal form of expression in any capacity.

Therefore, it is just as important that people be aware of these spaces and the politics they pose. To have the knowledge that is necessary to challenge and complicate the status quo as it stands is not just necessary – it is revolutionary.

So, go out there. Strut your stuff. SlutWalk like you mean it – empowered and

unapologetic.

Sophia Stephens is a senior english literature and comparative ethnic studies major from wenatchee. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.