Why I Started Project Slut: Andy’s Story

Kerin John, Erin Dixon and Andy Villanueva realized that their school dress code was a bit messed up. Not only that, but they saw that it specifically targeted young women who were racialized, big, or LGBTQ+.

“The intention of a strict dress code can be seen as protecting women, but it contributes to rape culture because it implies that a woman has to present herself in a traditional way in order to be respected. It sends the messages to other students that it’s okay to blame women for being harassed or assaulted.”

So they started up Project Slut, and they fought back. They chose the name Project Slut so that they could reclaim the word Slut, which has been used to degrade and hurt women. They were successful in eliminating their school’s sexist, racist, and homophobic dress code. Now they’re working to make similar changes in other schools.

Here is Andy’s story on what this project has meant for her:

I had nude photographs spread of me and ended up in the hospital for a serious suicide attempt

I co-started Project Slut because I believe that school doesn’t have to be another thing young people and survivors have to heal from. Classrooms should foster consent culture not rape culture and students shouldn’t have to follow rules that police their gender, race and sexuality.

On a personal level I needed Project Slut in order to heal from all the things that had happened to me in my early teens. I was sexually assaulted, taken advantage of by older young men in my neighboorhood, I had nude photographs spread of me and ended up in the hospital for a serious suicide attempt and had to be fed charcoal to neutralize the poisoning.

…we faced a lot of backlash, our posters were kept being taken down, our surveys removed from mailboxes and we were forbidden to film on school premises.

My school on many accounts failed to protect me even after I reported and they were aware of what was happening. So I know first hand the frustration of having a system be complicit in letting abuse happen because they themselves perpetuate violence or standby and let it happen. When I left my old school for Central Tech, girls in my classroom were being publicly shamed by teachers because they were violating the dress code. By instructing students to ‘cover up’ it equates clothing choices with respect, and gives permission for staff and peers to shame and insult women. We found dress codes to be incredibly problematic and discovered that it’s not only women who are affected by dress codes, but gender nonconforming students and students of colour too.

Through years of activism we managed to get rid of the dress code, despite how challenging this actually was. To be frank we faced a lot of backlash, our posters were kept being taken down, our surveys removed from mailboxes and we were forbidden to film on school premises. I was even referred to as a guerrilla terrorist by a vice principal. But along the way we made great allies with staff and by graduation everything fell into place. So far, we have only managed to change policy, but implementation and attitudes are a separate issue.

There is still a lot of work to be done, so my advice for other young activists it’s to fight no matter what, no matter for how long, and no matter how many no’s you’ll get. What you’re doing is important and it’s necessary, don’t give up before it gets good.