Internet celebrity’s Guelph event gets shut down
After numerous protests from the Guelph community, the Internet celebrity Kirill—who goes by the name “slutwhisperer”—has had his event shut down. Kirill was originally scheduled to perform on March 4, 2016 at Opus Lounge in downtown Guelph.
From a single glance at his Instagram account, it’s not difficult to understand why. Kirill’s page is filled with extremely misogynistic comments contextualized as “jokes,” written next to pictures of women in revealing clothing performing lewd acts.
One may argue that these women chose to have their photos taken, but it’s important to remember that many of these women appear to be under the influence of alcohol, and thus are not able to give consent. What’s more, the peer pressure of the drunk, cheering crowd likely plays a role into pushing them into situations they may not feel [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…filled with extremely misogynistic comments…[/pullquote]
comfortable with or may later regret.
Additionally, there is a clear imbalance of power between Kirill and the subjects of his photos. The women who attend these events do not control the photos that are posted to Kirill’s Instagram account, and receive no financial benefits or recognition; they almost always go unnamed, and there is a much more prominent focus on their bodies over their identities.
“It’s important to understand that events such as this one, which supports men who consider ‘the art of seduction’ to be something other than alcohol assisted sexual assault, directly and irresponsibly contribute to a rape culture that allows slut-shaming, double standards, sexual violence, and the objectification of women’s bodies to be considered the norm or even celebrated,” said Scarlett Raczycki, Local Affairs Commissioner for the CSA.
“Beyond these issues, the ‘artist’ known as Kirill Was Here promotes homophobia, transphobia, racism, and many other forms of oppression throughout his various social media platforms,” continued Raczycki. “In so many ways, the promotion of this event is distasteful, and dangerous. This is so much more than some sleazy guy, it’s about an entire system of interconnected systems of oppression that allow straight cis-white men like this make money off of the exploitation, degradation, and endangerment of women while so many people either say nothing or actively support it.”
Upon initially finding out about the event, Raczycki posted a screenshot to the Guelphites for Repro Rights Facebook group, a reproductive rights group affiliated with GRGCED (Guelph Resource Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity), and sent an email to the Night Life Task Force. Many concerned Guelph community members reached out to the owner of Opus, and an hour later, the event was shut down.
“I have no intention of slut-shaming women who were interested in attending this event or others like it, I fully support the sexual liberation of women, but I encourage all women to be safe about this. The way this guy speaks, and the name “the slut whisperer,” itself makes me feel like there’s a lot more alcohol-assisted sexual assault intended in his events than directly advertised,” said Raczycki. “Getting sexy for someone this sexist and problematic is not the best way to express that liberation!”
GRGCED has also expressed its support regarding the outcome.
“We are so excited that students came together to stop a performer whose Twitter feed is described as ‘…in many ways, a gaping maw of misogyny,’” said Lori Guest, Volunteer and Resources Coordinator, and Lidia Fourcans, Outreach and Organizational Coordinator at GRGCED.
Unsurprisingly, Kirill himself does not share this viewpoint. Shortly after his event was cancelled, he posted a response on his Instagram page:
“I don’t even know where GUELPH, ONTARIO is but apparently they know me pretty well. It makes me happy knowing that my jokes and lifestyle is [sic] taken so seriously that people take time out of their day to protest me coming to their town and partying…Canada has free healthcare cause people like this need constant treatment for their sandy vaginas.”
Score one for Guelph for shutting down that party—and that misogyny.