SlutWalk - Philadelphia

The coming of the New Millennium in the 1990s had brought a chance for hope, perhaps just the same feeling of renewal and second-chances we get with every New Year's, except that at the time it was a big deal because it was the beginning of a new era, some would call it the Age of Aquarius. One of the expectations for the next 1,000 year was that of progress in all aspects of life... again, just the way we feel with every new chapter in our life.

And yet we sometimes get heartbroken when we still encounter cowardly, archaic and ignorant comments (or actions) such the words uttered by Toronto police officer, Constable Michael Sanguinetti, when impliying that sexual assault could be prompted by the way someone is dressed. What makes it more shocking is the fact that this happened in Canada, a country that's perceived to be among the most progressive, open-minded and welcoming in the world (even more than the USA currently is).

Here's a quote from The Huffington Post:

"...Michael Sanguinetti thought he was offering the key to rape prevention. 'I'm not supposed to say this,' he told a group of students at an Osgoode Hall Law School safety forum on January 24, but to prevent being sexually assaulted, 'Avoid dressing like sluts.'” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/slutwalk-united-states-city_n_851725.html)

Of course, this doesn't seem at all to be the true character of Canadians and in fact outraged many in the country to the point of organizing a demonstration - called SlutWalk - against not just words, but a particularly disturbing attitude from a public official.

The demonstration became a movement that resonated around the world with everyone, women and men alike.

On August 6th, SlutWalk came to Philadelphia. As a photographer I didn't want to miss the opportunity of photographing a unique and meaningful event. From a visual point of view, you would have never dreamed of photographing a large group of people dressed as sluts in broad daylight - unless you happen to be in New York City like I was last week when, out of the blue, a middle-age woman goes down biking on 9th Avenue... well, dressed like a slut (high heels included). The other reason why I personally sympathized with the demonstration was not for being a woman, as I'm sure many of you would assume, but because the level of injustice: blaming the victim. In this particular case, putting the blame on the victim's way of dressing or appearance, and this isn't applicable just to women. To me that's just another form of discrimination.

So here it is, the photos from SlutWalk - Philadelphia: https://picasaweb.google.com/113511599253863697987/SlutWalkPhiladelphia