Amber Rose owns her sexuality in the hilarious "Walk of No Shame" video by Funny or Die and, in a way, can be seen as a good example for women everywhere.
"Walk of No Shame" begins with Rose stepping out onto a porch in a tight dress, her cleavage fully exposed, and hot pink high heels clutched in her hand just as she is about to embark on her "walk of shame." The "walk of shame" is notoriously a name given to the act of walking home after an unplanned sexual encounter. For those who already knew what a "walk of shame" was, it's not something thought of as pleasant as it's portrayed in Funny or Die's video. It's something women are generally not proud of, and are often humiliated for.
Contrary to the norm, Amber Rose’s journey back home in the video is uplifting and somewhat gratifying. She parades through the town as both men and women recognize and applaud her. As she strides with confidence through the town, citizens shout positive things her way, rewarding her for being confident in the choices she makes with her body. One man even says, “I respect that you enjoyed yourself last night. I think we can all agree; having sex is fun!”
In under two minutes, Amber Rose completely redefines how we should view women and their sexuality. Shame is a recurring enforcement to scare women away from enjoying sex and being comfortable with themselves. This is why the title “walk of shame” was given to the simple act of going home after having casual sex. This tactic is so embedded in our culture, especially college culture, that we’re lead to believe women can’t have multiple sexual partners.
At one point in the video, Rose crosses paths with another woman who looks as if she is also participating in the “walk of no shame,” and they both commend each other for their acts. To me, this part was the most impactful. Women supporting other women in their decisions in regards to their bodies is essential to defeating the stigma of women expressing their sexuality.
“Walk of No Shame” perfectly poked fun at how society reacts to women who choose to express their sexuality freely with the use of overly cheerful celebratory dialogue and commentary. The over-the-top nature of “Walk of No Shame” is necessary to coax the viewer into reflecting on the way we actually treat women who openly enjoy sex. We label them, we shame them, and we hurt them. It is detrimental to perpetuate the idea that a woman can’t have casual sex, let alone enjoy it.
We shouldn’t be scaring women out of sex, we should be celebrating that women are comfortable with their bodies. The “walk of shame” was created only to push this idea that it’s disgraceful or funny that a woman has casual sex. Amber Rose may seem like an unlikely candidate for a role model, but if we rethink the way we view women expressing their sexuality freely then Amber Rose is the perfect woman to look up to.
