somebody else to say that that's not a right choice, when this is my choice. I find that problematic." I believe that, in this short quip, Jarvis sums up much of that what has made me uncomfortable with Slutwalk from the get-go. 'If I feel personally empowered by my personal choice, then no one else should have anything to say on the matter. It affects only me,' is not a strong argument for feminism. While the organisers of the SlutWalk might think that proudly calling themselves "sluts" is a way to empower women, they are in fact making life harder for girls who are trying to navigate their way through the tricky terrain of adolescence. But I also have zero interest in participating. I'm tired of the polarizing rhetoric: Are you a prude or a slut? You know what, I'm neither. I understand the concept of re-appropriating slurs, and that many people find it freeing and empowering. Also, political discourse doesn't exactly lend itself to nuance and subtlety, so shocking slogans can be tremendously effective. On a personal level, though, this kind of reactive language can feel awfully limiting. I'm not a political caricature, and neither is my sexuality. If SlutWalk truly wanted to bring attention to the systematic ways in which women are harmed by regressive and misogynistic thinking, they could have done the heavy lifting of reaching out and supporting black, poor and transgender women in New Orleans, for whom the word "slut" carries a criminal sex offender