Welcome to Slut Riot!

It started with a conversation between SCS intern De’Liza and me. As part of my not-at-all-secret plan to introduce De’Liza to classic and modern feminist works, I assigned her to review something from my feminist bookcase. She chose Fast Girls: Teenage Tribes and the Myth of the Slut by Emily White. Set squarely in a high school setting, it’s not surprising that my 17-year-old intern gravitated to this decade-old examination into the construct and implication of slut-shaming.

But as we discussed the book, we both felt an energy about the topic that seemed too large for just a simple review of a book. This seemed like an opportunity to engage in the on-going discussion about slut-shaming — or rather the stigma and shaming around human sexuality and gender constructs — that is endemic to the not just the patriarchy narrative but that of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and more. If the major criticism of the Slut Walk movement was that once again it was an insular, white woman’s take on misogyny resulting in a collective alienation of people of color and LGBT individuals, then perhaps this is our chance to dive that much deeper.

Over the next week, we have series of posts lined up to explore different aspects of what we’ll call slut-shaming, for lack of a more nuanced and intersectional phrase. There will be posts by women of color, LGBT people, sex workers, and yes, even men, to talk about this issue and not just in the same familiar way. While I am a suburban, married, white mother, I hope what you find this week is that my narrative has taken a backseat — because that identity has been well-covered. I want to engage this topic on multiple fronts and in the most comprehensive way possible in six short days. Will every possible angle be covered? Probably not. Are each of the writers lined up going to be the sole spokespeople for their cultural identity? Not even close. That’s because this is only the beginning. This is where the dialogue starts. And it will be up to each of us to keep it going long past Sluts Week.

It’s time for a SLUT RIOT!

• We’re starting a SLUT RIOT!
• Emily White’s ‘Fast Girls’ opens the flood gates on slut-shaming
• Slut Riot! Busting through the layers of slut-shaming (Feminism 2.0)
• A sex worker shares her perspective
• Defining ourselves, exploring slut-shaming in black hip hop culture
• Now Say My Name! (including video)
• Now Say My Name! (youtube link to video)
• Join us for the Big Slutty Tweet-Chat!
• On the intersection of shaming, rape-culture, and patriarchy

Check back for more posts all week!