00:03I'm Amanda Knox, and I'm here in L.A. to meet Amber Rose.
00:06We're two women who have both been rendered two-dimensional by the tabloids.
00:11Her past relationships have just been fodder for this endless cycle of sexist abuse by the media.
00:17Her past work, both stripping in clubs and dancing in music videos,
00:21has opened Amber up to malicious scrutiny.
00:25I'm really inspired by how Amber is able to hold her head high despite everything that's putting her down.
00:31In my case, the Italian police justified arresting me for murder by portraying me as sexually promiscuous,
00:38to devalue and discredit me.
00:41Now, I'm here to learn Amber's story.
00:54Hi!
00:55Hi!
00:56Oh my gosh!
00:57Oh, I can't believe you're here! Welcome!
01:00Oh, thank you!
01:00Come in!
01:02It's all, like, really cool, like...
01:04Ooh!
01:06I love this one. I think this one is awesome.
01:09Oh, amazing!
01:13Thanks for having me!
01:14Of course!
01:15This is your home!
01:16Thank you for having me! I'm so excited to do this!
01:21I was looking into the issue of people shaming and vilifying women through their sexuality,
01:27and, like, you clearly came up.
01:30You totally own the fact that I was a stripper,
01:34and, like, the idea that you could be empowered while in that position just, like, blows people's minds.
01:40Yeah, well, they expect me to be like, I was a stripper, and I had a hard life,
01:44and it was the best time of my life.
01:47I wish I had a pole in the middle of my living room.
01:49Going out on stage, getting that initial reaction, getting the money thrown on me,
01:54being in my early 20s, having a bunch of friends.
01:57I also say that it was a form of business school for me.
02:01It gave me the gift of gab.
02:03It taught me how to get money.
02:06So don't be mad at me, because, you know, I was young and beautiful,
02:11and I made, you know, $150,000, $200,000 in cash a year.
02:18What? Come on, man.
02:20You're just a hater at that point.
02:22After making a name for herself, Amber started getting flown to L.A. to dance and rap videos.
02:28That's how she met Kanye West.
02:30They began dating in 2009 and were spotted everywhere together.
02:34But when they split after two years, Kanye started trashing her in the press.
02:38I'd take 30 showers before I got with Kim, you know what I mean?
02:42It's very hard for a woman to want to be with someone that's with Amber Rose.
02:47In 2016, after a whirlwind romance, Amber and rapper Wiz Khalifa got married,
02:53had a son, and eventually split.
02:56Afterward, he slut-shamed her in his music.
03:01When did you first realize in your life that there was some kind of disparity between
03:08what men and women were experiencing in regards to their sexuality?
03:12For me, after every breakup, it was, like, really bad on me.
03:17Even if I got cheated on, it was always my fault.
03:20After my divorce, my ex-husband was, like, out, like, making out with girls,
03:24and, like, living his life and partying, as he should.
03:27And I would go on, like, a dinner date.
03:29And it was, like, I was just a disgusting whore. Yeah.
03:33And then there would be, like, here's all the men that Amber Rose slept with.
03:37And then it would be, like, so-and-so, number 38.
03:40And then it's, like, no, I never slept with this person.
03:43Don't know this guy. Don't know this guy.
03:45Or, yes, I did him.
03:47My documented, even though half of it is not true.
03:51Documented.
03:52Documented.
03:53What is it that the media gets wrong about you?
03:55I don't care.
03:57No, I really don't.
03:58Okay, okay.
03:59No, I really don't.
04:00You, me, everybody else here, we can say who we are until we're blue in the face.
04:05I feel like I'm a little bit similar to you where it's, like, you know what?
04:08If no one's trying to, like, hunt me down and put me in a prison cell,
04:12like, I could give less of a , you know?
04:16You know, your story helped a lot of women.
04:18I hope that you know that.
04:20Just the slut-shaming that you had to endure during a difficult time at the same time.
04:25I mean, that must have been, like, extremely, extremely hard.
04:30Well, it's like people are just taking you away from you, right?
04:34Like, that's what they're doing.
04:35And it's hard to ignore when you're in a prison cell, you know?
04:38Yeah.
04:38Or it's hard to ignore when, like, your entire social group at, in school,
04:44like, has all decided that you're this type of person.
04:46And you're like, am I just crazy?
04:48Right.
04:49Or is the, or is the world right?
04:52I know that you, because I read your book,
04:55that you said that you also had slut-shamed people before.
04:59You know, society, um, made me look at certain girls.
05:06If she was dressed a certain way, I'd be like, ugh, she is just,
05:09she just wants so much attention.
05:11Like, she's such a whore.
05:12Or, I like the boy, and the boy likes somebody else.
05:15Mm-hmm.
05:16And you're like, oh, they must be putting out or something.
05:17Yeah, like, ugh, God, she f***ed everybody.
05:20And it's just like, really, I really just wanted to f*** them.
05:22Yeah.
05:22You know?
05:23So, like, I was just mad.
05:24You know?
05:25That's really all it was.
05:27And I got to a point, like, as I got older, when I was like, you know what?
05:30I'm not going to let those derogatory labels hurt me anymore.
05:33I'm just going to embrace them.
05:34A story caught Amber's eye from back in 2011, when a Toronto police officer suggested to a group of college
05:41women that they shouldn't dress like sluts if they didn't want to be sexually assaulted.
05:47Thousands of women took to the streets in protest.
05:50I saw some pictures.
05:51It was a girl that had on pasties, and it was, like, still not asking for it, and she had
05:57it, like, written on her body.
05:58And I was like, what the f*** is this?
06:00I need to be a part of it.
06:02Like, what is this?
06:02This is true.
06:03Yeah, I was like, this is life.
06:05Like, I need this in my life.
06:06And so I put on Twitter, I'm having a slut walk this year, so I don't know what you guys
06:11are doing, but that's what I'm doing.
06:13It, like, literally, like, started trending, like, worldwide, just from a tweet.
06:19And they're like, a slut walk? What the f*** is a slut walk?
06:22What is a slut walk?
06:23You're trying to make an excuse because you're a slut.
06:26We're tired of the victim blaming, we're tired of the rape, and we're going to do something about it.
06:30Right.
06:30Why not call these empowerment walks and avoid the controversy and the, you know, the...
06:35Do you think I'd be sitting here if they were called empowerment walks?
06:37In the first year, it was about 2,500 people.
06:41Amber!
06:42And then the second year was 11,000 people.
06:45Whoa.
06:46Because I didn't shut up about it.
06:48And then the third year, 18,000 people showed up.
06:52Well, this year, at my slut walk, I was Captain Save-A-Ho.
06:55That was, like, my superhero costume because I was saving hoes all around the world.
07:00To be told that I was nothing but a stripper.
07:06Um...
07:07It hurt.
07:10So I decided...
07:13Beautiful Albert!
07:15Beautiful Albert!
07:18Beautiful Albert!
07:21Beautiful Albert!
07:24Beautiful Albert!
07:31Beautiful Albert!
07:34Has anyone in the slut walk come up to you and said, you saved me?
07:41Yeah.
07:42I'm just happy that I have some type of platform for, you know, women to come and even...
07:49You know, there was a girl this year, she had a gray sweatsuit on and she had a sign that
07:54said, I was raped in this.
07:57I told all the women, I was like, I will take all the punches for you guys.
08:02And I'll do it again and I'll do it a million times over.
08:06And that taking punches for other women thing is really...
08:09That's such a strong statement.
08:12I use that as a tool to help other women.
08:15And anytime you ever feel like, um...
08:20You're just having a moment.
08:21When we're done this, I'm gonna give you my number.
08:23And you can literally call me.
08:26I'm on the phone all day.
08:28Thank you so much.
08:32So, I have a little gift for you.
08:34Bye!
08:35And then, of course, you are a certified slut, just like me.
08:40So...
08:42So appropriate.
08:44It's beautiful.
08:51Since Italy, celebrity has felt like a bad word.
08:56Being known has come with a ton of scrutiny and hatred.
09:00Like, Amber Rose and I have in common the idea that if sex is a part of your identity, that
09:09it is somehow corrupted you.
09:14Let's all come together and be positive role models for each other.
09:18We're still at a point where it's too easy to look at a woman, call her a slut, and then
09:24end the discussion.
09:27Really, she deeply, viscerally understands that women are way more than we give them credit for.
09:50This time we're going to show up.
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