Don't blame it on the alcohol

She said "no," but she's wearing such a revealing outfit, her skin looks too inviting. She said "no," but she's so drunk, she really means yes. She said "no," but she ran her fingertips up my leg and kissed my cheek, I know she means yes.

Dressed in fishnets, tight shorts, lacey corsets and shirts that read ‘slut,' protestors were seen parading down the streets of Downtown Dallas.

These women and men participated in the Dallas Slut Walk inspired by the Slut Walk that took place in Toronto.

The purpose of the walk was to bring awareness to victims of rape, stating that it doesn't matter what they wear and that they are not to blame. The protest began as a response to a Toronto police officer who stated that women should dress more appropriately and not like "sluts" to avoid being raped.

Sorry, officer, but at the Chronicle we believe that it doesn't matter what clothes you're wearing. It doesn't matter if you're drunk or sober, and it doesn't matter if there was previous physical contact. If a woman says "no," she means it.

Women are too often judged by the clothes they wear. Tight shirts, short skirts and makeup seem to be reason enough for too many people to deem a woman a street walker. A shade of a woman's lipstick shouldn't be the deciding factor in whether she was to blame for being raped. Unfortunately, the woman is the one up for examination for a rape case. To say that a woman's clothing is to blame is absolutely ridiculous, damaging the woman's credibility to her case and makes any other factors of the case seem irrelevant. Women shouldn't have to cover up their bodies and wear baggy, unfitting clothing. If a woman feels great wearing a short, tight dress because she has a figure that allows her to, she shouldn't feel like she can't.

As college students, we know the routine at most parties. Drinking is all too common, and while most of us would like to believe that we can trust everyone at the party even while inebriated, sadly that isn't the case. Statistics from Scotland's This Is Not an Invitation to Rape Me campaign showed that the majority of rapists are acquaintances and not strangers of the victim. If the woman who claims she was raped had any amount of alcohol in her body, in many cases her case was dismissed in favor of the attacker. By being inebriated, the woman is assumed to have been asking for rape because she didn't have control of her body.

Social contact or any sort of intimacy is also used as a reason why the woman is to blame for being raped. A kiss during the date or any sort of flirting is grounds that the man is not to blame. It's ridiculous to believe that because a woman chose to go on a date with a man and flirted, that she is to blame for being raped. The woman is most definitely not to blame. If she says no the man should be able to stop. She has the right to change her mind, and a kiss does not mean she's committing to have sex.

The myths of rape need to be exposed and the Slut Walk is an excellent way to do that.

The ultimate goal of the movement is to end victim blaming and sexual assult. Everyone is encouraged to spread awareness and social networking Web sites, along with movements like the walk, are ways to expose the darkest issues facing women and those victimized by violence.