Amber Rose ‘SlutWalk’: Empowerment Or Vanity Project?
Model Amber Rose is most famous for the fact that she had relationships with rappers Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa. Over the past weekend, Rose organized a so called “SlutWalk” in Los Angeles on Saturday. The origin of “Slutwalks” dates from 2011, when a Canadian police official commented that “women should avoid dressing as sluts to avoid being victimized.” Rose, and most right thinking people, would claim that how a woman dresses is their choice alone. Wearing revealing clothing does not imply a sexual invitation. Rose has become a fierce advocate for women’s rights, and Amber has frequently hit out at those who criticize women for the sexual choices they make.
During her event on Saturday, Rose spoke up to say that she has forgiven Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa who have both attacked her in the past with so called “slut shaming” comments. West claimed that his now wife Kim Kardashian insisted that he have “30 showers” before she would sleep with him because he was once with Rose. Wiz Khalifa, who was married to Rose and is the father of her son, branded her “just a stripper” after the couple split.
On the website for her “SlutWalk,” Amber makes a statement setting out her aims, claiming that its purpose was about empowerment and inclusivity for marginalized groups.
“This event will have a zero tolerance policy on all hateful language, racism, sexism, ableism, fat-shaming, transphobia, or any other kind of bigotry.”
“Further, we recognize that shaming, oppression, assault and violence have disproportionately impacted marginalized groups including women of color, transgender people and sex workers, and thus we are actively working to center these groups in this event.”
“We deeply value the voices of marginalized groups and have a strong desire to find common ground among all of our intersections.”
The Daily Mirror reports that during a speech at the event Amber said that she had forgiven West and Khalifa for the hurtful comments they had made about her in the past. The Daily Mail reports that many of those attending Amber’s rally were dressed in their underwear and in some cases were topless to make the point that dressing sexily or being naked does not imply sexual consent.
Wall of No Shame #amberroseslutwalk ??? pic.twitter.com/O1IwEEAPP1
— Amber Rose (@DaRealAmberRose) October 3, 2015
During the walk Amber carried a sign saying that “strippers have feelings too.”
#amberroseslutwalk ???? pic.twitter.com/CZOEpAy21F
— Amber Rose (@DaRealAmberRose) October 3, 2015
Amber’s event claimed a lot of support from those who claim that the “SlutWalk” message is an important one for people to grasp. One Twitter user made the point that society seems to think that it is fine for men to have multiple sexual partners, but women who do the same have their reputation tarnished.
According to CNN, not everyone agreed with Amber’s method of raising an important issue. One woman said that Amber’s walk was “a shame” and suggested the answer lies in educating boys to respect women. Another point raised in criticism of Amber’s walk is that “walking around naked will not prevent rape.”
Milo Yiannopolous, a writer for the conservative website Breitbart staged a small demonstration against Amber’s walk saying that “rape culture” is a fantasy.
Amber’s Go Fund Me campaign in aid of The Amber Rose Foundation has so far raised almost $56,000. The issues raised by Amber and others are clearly both difficult and emotive ones.
What do Inquisitr readers make of Amber Rose’s approach to tackling this controversial issue? Is Amber dealing with the issue in the best way or is this just a way for Amber Rose to raise her own profile? Is Amber empowering people or is this just a vanity project?
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
