The Slutwalks: Reappropriation through Demonstration

Abstract

The Slutwalks were protests which took place in cities across the world in summer 2011 and were sparked when a police officer told a group of students that they should stop dressing like sluts to avoid being sexually assaulted. A global movement in which women and men took to the streets - many dressed provocatively and proudly called themselves sluts - in an attempt to reclaim both the derogatory term and the right to dress how they want; free from judgement. This paper interviews Slutwalk participants from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK and Vienna, Austria to explore their motivations for getting involved and to gain a deeper understanding of how they have challenged androcentric structural norms that are manifest within the city.