Walk of Shame (2014)

Hussah Alzamil

Walk of Shame

            Walk of Shame is a 2014 comedy film written and directed by Steven Brill starring Elizabeth Banks. It follows the story of a field reporter who goes clubbing with her friends, only to have a one night stand with a random guy, then proceeds to do the walk of shame in order to get to her work. And although the movie is classified as a comedy movie, the humor is lost on me.

            I believe that it’s usually obvious when a man writes the script vs when a woman writes it, and in Walk of Shame (2004), it was obvious. Although the target audience is men and women, it seemed like a movie only men would enjoy. In almost every scene, Meghan Miles (Elizabeth Banks) is wearing a tight yellow mini-dress, and in every scene people assume she’s “just another hooker” or a “crack-whore”. People made that assumption based on what she’s wearing. And I find it ironic that some dresses are considered slutty or skimpy or give woman a strong sexual vibe, when there is no such constraint to men. A guy could walk around in shorts and a tank top and no one would bat an eye. The movie opened my eyes to the real issue regarding women’s clothing. Just because a girl wears a short dress does not mean she sells sex for money, and I believe it was an important point made in the movie.

            In the last scene of the movie, Meghan gives a report at work talking about the injustices done to her throughout her walk. She makes a clear statement saying it should not be called a walk of shame because she is not ashamed, and I agree with her. A woman should not feel ashamed walking home from a one-night stand. It is not okay to live in a world where men are not as sexualized as women. The term “walk of shame” makes it seem like a woman should be ashamed for having sex, but she shouldn’t. And I believe the movie tried to convey that message using comedy.

            Although the movie is considered comedic, I feel like the use of such strong messages overshadowed the comedic aspect. Instead of laughing I ended up thinking about how unjust the world is in terms of equality and freedom of expression. Women should have the choice to do what they want without feeling the constraints of society suffocating them. It should be okay for a woman to have a good time without being treated as a social pariah.