Toronto Mayor's Lingerie Football Playing Niece Tells Women to Avoid Sexual Assaults by Not Dressing 'Like a Whore' [UPDATE]
Krista Ford, niece of Toronto mayor Rob Ford and a former Lingerie Football player, said she "didn't mean to cause such an alarm" after igniting a firestorm with slut-shaming comments she made on Twitter.
In the aftermath of a press conference by Toronto police concerning a recent string of sexual assaults, Ford, who is also the daughter of Toronto councillor Doug Ford, tweeted her own safety advice to the women of Hogtown.
"Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don't dress like a whore," Ford wrote in a since-deleted tweet.
Her controversial comments echoed a similar statement made last year by Toronto police officer Const. Michael Sanguinetti. His remark that "women should avoid dressing like sluts" launched the global protest initiative known as SlutWalk.
In response to Ford's tweet, SlutWalk Toronto released the following statement:
What Krista said was problematic for many reasons, including placing the onus for preventing sexual assault on a potential victim, pointing to clothes as a reason or inciting factor of sexual assault (time and time again proven to be untrue), and shaming survivors with 'don't dress like a whore'. When anyone says that 'dressing like a whore' makes someone liable to be raped, they're blaming existing survivors for their own victimization.
UPDATE: Alice Moran, a 24-year-old actress, comedienne, and one of the victims of Toronto's rash of sexual assaults, has penned a poignant open letter in response to Krista Ford's Twitter tips. Here's an excerpt, but you should read the whole thing:
So, you've called me a whore. Here we are. This is awkward now, isn't it? You're probably wondering if I'm going to challenge you on having been a member of Lingerie League. I'm not, because I'd never slut-shame another woman. I believe you have a right to your body and regardless of how you do or don't dress it I believe you have a right to respect and personal security. I guess that's the key difference in our thinking. You could wear a t-shirt that says "I'm literally asking for it" and I'd still advocate for your security.
