19 Women Tell Us What "Slut" Means To Them

Saturday was the Amber Rose SlutWalk in Downtown Los Angeles. And for those who, in the words of Muva, apparently don't know how to use Google, allow me to explain it to you. A SlutWalk is an anti-rape-culture / anti-victim-blaming protest in which people march in "slutty" clothing in order to challenge the misogynistic notion that anything besides rapists (i.e. clothing, cleavage, skirt length, etc.) cause rape. It is also an act of reclamation, allowing women to take back the insult that has been used to hold us down. The protest got its name from the language used by Canadian police officers in 2011, when/where the SlutWalks began. So what does "slut" mean when you reclaim it?

The idea of word reclamation argues that when a slur or insult is used by the people whom it had originally intended to demean, then the word loses all of its malicious meaning. Instead, it becomes a weapon, a term with which one proudly identifies. It's why one of the most popular signs at SlutWalk boasted "Proud Slut."

All of the rad ladies whom you will find in the photographs below have given "slut" a personal definition and/or new connotation. Is a slut simply a woman who has sex, and therefore nothing more than a harmless noun? Or maybe it has a beautiful, poetic definition that contains a message about freedom? Does it instead define the person who uses it as an insult?Here is how 19 powerful women at the Amber Rose SlutWalk define "slut."

1. Quiriana, 25

"Slut: Someone in charge of the way he/she views his/her own sexuality."

2. Alee, 22, And Corey, 22

"Someone who is sexually active and doesn't give a SH*T!!!"

3. Nicole, 23, And Kirstin, 22

"Slut means being free!"

4. Cheyenne, 19

"Slut means choosing when and with whom I want to share my temple with!!!"

5. Friea, 19

"Slut is what people say when they try to devalue you."

6. Megan, 31

"Slut: a lady who wears high heels and knows how to use them as weapons."

7. Carina, 19

"Because a woman should not be shamed for enjoying sex!"

8. Alejandra, 20

"Because I shouldn't be afraid to walk alone."

9. Jen Richards

"If 'slut' just means a woman who loves her body and enjoys all the pleasures available to it, then I AM A PROUD SLUT."

10. Shadi

"SLUT is any trans, cis, gender nonconforming, non-binary woman who dare to reclaim ownership of their body."

11. Gabifresh

"Slut means freedom of choice!"

12. Zulma, 40

"Slut is the first word I heard that was mean from my own parents. 'Cover up, you look like a slut!"

13. Sathina, 23

"SLUT: Empowered, Sexually Independent, Free Spirit, Beautiful"

14. Brittany, 18, And Thrystal, 18

"Real / Bad Ass Bitch"

15. Rhonda, 29

"'Slut' is a woman (or man) not afraid to be 100 percent themself!"

16. Elizabeth, 24

"SLUT is a human being allowed to be sexual. My body, my choice!!!"

17. Natalie

"Sluts are cool — Jesus"

18. Emily Lindin, Founder Of The Unslut Project

"'Slut' is a catch-all insult used to oppress girls and women. It's not a real thing!"

19. Raven, 27

"Slut: A word insecure people use to make others feel insecure with their sexuality."

Images: Rachel Sanoff