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A Rose by Another Name is Still a Bad-ass

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Salisbury chapter.

American model and actress Amber Rose shot to fame after making an appearance in the music video of “Put On” by Kanye West and Young Jeezy in 2008. This attention landed her a job posing for a Louis Vuitton advertisement, and by the following year she had signed with modeling agency Ford Models. She has since gone on to appear on many shows including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Master of the Mix, and Running Russell Simmons.

Amber has also previously appeared as the face for Smirnoff Vodka, and has regularly walked in New York Fashion Week. She now also hosts her own show The Amber Rose Show on VH1 and continues to model.

Amber Rose has always been open about certain parts of her personal life, including that she started stripping when she was fifteen to help support her family. More recently in her personal life Amber has dated rapper Kanye West, however since their break-up they’ve been in an on and off again feud.

Following this relationship, she became engaged and then married to rapper Wiz Khalifa and had son Sebastian Taylor Thomaz together. The two divorced after three years together and as of June it’s rumored she’s been seeing rapper 21 Savage.

A great part of Amber’s personality is her pro-feminism approach to women’s issues and sexuality. Regarding her own sexuality she once said “I’m extremely open with my sexuality. I can be in love with a woman, I can be in love with a man. As far as humans go, I definitely find beauty in everybody, whether they’re heavy-set, super-skinny, if they’re white, black, Indian, Asian, Spanish. I can see beauty in everybody. If I see a woman and I think she’s beautiful and I like her, and she likes me back we can definitely try to be in a relationship together.”

In more recent years Amber has become synonymous with the “SlutWalk” that takes place in Los Angeles. “The Amber Rose SlutWalk is a nonprofit event that is playing a monumental role in the movement towards gender equality, ending rape culture, victim blaming, slut and body shaming and other social injustice issues.” The event is for anyone who feels strongly about these topics or for people who wish to learn more.

Amber tends to use humor to empower other women about their sexuality, and to encourage the idea that having or enjoying sex doesn’t make you a ‘slut.’ The things women are criticized for doing, men are applauded for. Amber and Matt McGorry collaborated on a video titled “Walk of No Shame.” This parodic video takes the trope of the walk of shame and turns into something to be proud of. Excerpts from the short video include:

Mr. Mayor:         “I want to give you the key to the city.”

Amber Rose       “Oh what for?”

Mr. Mayor          “Your confidence in the choices you make and the ability to celebrate your body!”

Amber Rose       “I always celebrate my body, sometimes twice a day.”

Amber Rose uses her position to empower women to not be ashamed of their sexuality and to feel confident in making decisions about how to use their bodies. She promotes the message that whatever your decisions on sex – how often you have it, how many people you have it with, whether you have it all, is okay and is not something to be ashamed of. Amber is the type of person that encourages you to live your best life, regardless of what others may think or say about you.

The next Amber Rose SlutWalk is October 1st, 2017. For more information go to

http://amberroseslutwalk.com/

If you want to learn more, and feel empowered you can read her book How to Be a Bad Bitch or visit her website. The link to her “Walk of No Shame” is featured below.

http://www.muvarose.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68kmBoUru-k

 

Amber Rose Quotes to Remember:

“If I’m laying down with a man butt-naked and his condom is on, and I say, ‘You know what? No. I don’t wanna do this. I changed my mind.’ That means no. That means fuck no. It doesn’t matter how far I take it or what I have on, when say no, it means no.”

“Your sex appeal or beauty isn’t defined by anyone else… you are your own audience, your own V.I.P.”

“The best sex I have is with myself.”

 

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Kaitlyn

Salisbury '23

Kaitlyn is a a dynamic communications professional with a passion for writing, strategic marketing, and creative video production. She graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a Master's Degree in Filmmaking in 2023. Her writing there focused on documentary, narrative, and fiction work. She also graduated from Salisbury University with degrees in Communications, English, and Linguistics. Kaitlyn has devoted her professional and personal life to public service and bettering the lives of others through her skills. In her free time she enjoys traveling and spending time with her cats.
Stephanie Chisley is an outgoing go-getter. Originally, Stephanie is from Oxon Hill, MD. She is currently a student at Salisbury University where she is studying Communication Arts with a track in journalism and public relations and a minor in Theater. While attending Salisbury University, Stephanie currently holds an executive board position as the secretary for Salisbury's Society of Professional Journalists . Stephanie plans on becoming an anchor for E! News or a writer, radio host, and announcer for BuzzFeed. In her free time, Stephanie is always on her phone scanning through social media, communicating with her friends, and finding new places to eat near her area.