Wearing as little or as much clothing as they wanted, students marched through campus in protest of victim blaming and slut shaming.
Feminists for Action, an activist group dedicated to supporting women's rights and eliminating oppression, hosted the third annual SlutWalk Sept. 25 as part of the Student Government Association's Diversity Day.
Students gathered at 3 p.m. at North Quad, each student having their own reason for participating in the march. Many had personal ties to the cause.
Daishawn Smith, a junior social work major, walked for personal reasons. He said the cause hits close to home.
"I did this last year when I took my women's and gender studies class," Smith said. "It's also something I'm passionate about, because I was personally molested twice when I was 14."
For Lily Luttringer, a senior sociology student, walking down McKinley Avenue was her way of reminding people that clothing or lack of clothing do not justify rape. No matter the situation, consent must always be present, she said.
“You need consent, whether you’ve been drinking, whatever you are wearing, it is still not okay to rape," Luttringer said. "We’re trying to teach that you need consent at all times. Whether you’re in a relationship, you always need consent.”
Chanting phrases such as “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, victim blaming has got to go!” and “It’s a dress, not a yes, it’s a skirt, not a flirt!” students walked holding signs with similar sayings. The group stopped at the Bell Tower in the middle of the walk to give victims a chance to speak up and share their story. Each survivor who spoke through the megaphone was met with cheering.
Check out our photo gallery of SlutWalk here.
Erica Somerson, a sophomore and vice president of Feminists for Action, led the way for the majority of the walk, yelling through a megaphone to encourage her followers. She said more people participated in the walk than last year.
Events like SlutWalk are essential because many people avoid discussing sexual assault, she said.
"Sexual assault is a very important issue to me because it's not talked about to the extent that it should be. It's not taken seriously at the level it should be," Somerson said. "So I got involved because I am in a position of power on campus in which I can do these things."
Somerson said SlutWalk gave survivors a voice and platform to tell their story while having the support of other students.
"It's just saying that Ball State cares about this," Somerson said.
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