Every so often, a Facebook group will surface online that reminds us that slut-shaming is still very very real. This time, it’s the Facebook group titled ‘The Maga Walk of Shame.’ The page essentially showcasing images of (mostly) women walking home after probably having a great night doing whatever the fuck they like, enjoying themselves, shock horror maybe (wait for it) having sex.
Reps for the page told the Daily Record: “if you’re going to Magaluf, expect to be on it. It is just a bit of banter and a bit of a joke. None of the girls seem to mind and mostly just have a laugh along with it.’ Okay, full disclosure here – some of the girls might not mind, but in posting images without permission and making a mockery of young women who are well within their rights to enjoy a night out, and walk home thereafter, it’s setting the example that it’s ok to criticism someone for their own sexual choices. Most of the images plastered online – I’m yet to go on the page as quite frankly, I don’t want to, and we purposely haven't linked out to it – are of women covering their faces, their bodies, or steering away from the unwanted camera shoved in their face.
News sites like the Daily Record and Daily Mail are calling it ‘hilarious,’ and claiming it shows ‘boozy Brits in all their glory.’ But in reporting it as a ‘joke,’ it just justifies the act of a walk of shame as exactly that, a funny thing we should be ashamed of. Which it really isn’t – and no one should be made to feel embarrassed for doing whatever they want in 2017. Remember when Amber Rose made a short film all about the walk of shame to help us feel empowered by our choices? Her message was to show women, and men, that she ‘respects that you enjoyed yourself last night, I think we can all agree, having sex is fun.’ She wanted us to feel empowered, not embarrassed by our sexual antics.
As a society, we view the walk of shame as a humorous thing we need to take notice of, we need to laugh at girls wandering the streets barefoot after a night out, to take videos and pictures – like on Maga Walk Of Shame, but in doing that we’re not respecting an individual’s choice to have a one-night stand. Taking a video and posting it online without that person’s permission doesn’t empower them, it makes a mockery of them. It’s unclear if the page will be removed, but it has received some backlash within the comments section. So, let’s just be clear on one thing here, this page isn’t ‘hilarious,’ it’s just a bit gross.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.