Let us be the first ones to say there is no shame, whatsoever, in walking home in the morning after a night out with friends. You are allowed to have consensual sex wherever, and with whoever, you god dam like.
Someone might like to tell this to the creators of a new Facebook page, absurdly titled 'The Maga Walk of Shame', which appears to be on a mission to shame (mostly) female tourists after a night out.
With an 'About' page stating the creators are 'bringing you all the latest from the streets of Magaluf', the page has already gained over 45,000 followers and asks for anyone to send in what they deem to be 'funny Magaluf photos'.
Unfortunately, the majority of posts so far involve women's cleavages and girls who don't even know they're having their photo taken. Others show young girls trying to hide their faces and bodies while attempting to get away from the camera.
Elsewhere, there are photos of girls topless (with drawings or emojis covering their nipples), and others of girls lying in the street or hotel doorways, who look clearly intoxicated and in a vulnerable position.
In several clips, women can be seen running away from the camera while a man harasses the individuals saying he has 'caught' them, while calling them out for doing what he refers to as 'the walk of shame', and shaming them for their choice of clothes.
Reps for the page have reportedly told the Daily Record: 'If you're going to Magaluf, expect to be on it. It is just a bit of banter and a bit of a joke. None of the girls seem to mind and mostly just have a laugh along with it.'
And, yes, while some of the girls featured on the page may have given permission for images of themselves to be posted on the website, from the looks of things, the majority of women photographed have likely been done so without their consent.
Unfortunately, several news outlets have reported on the Facebook page, deeming it 'hilarious' and referring to the women as 'boozy brits'.
We fail to see anything funny in attempting to shame women for enjoying a night out, or walking home after making consensual sexual decisions.
We'd also like to point out that in none of the videos published to the page is there a calling out of male tourists partaking in what is being deemed a 'walk of shame'.
Unsurprisingly, the posts have caused outraged among social media users, with one writing 'the camera person is hassling that woman' while another comments 'this page is a f*cking disgrace'.
'You are harassing random people, assuming they've had a one night stand and assuming their sexual orientation too,' one adds.
The creation of the page follows three years after a 21-year-old Irish tourist in Magaluf was filmed giving oral sex to 24 men, with the internet branding the young woman a 'slut'.
The abuse the young woman received across social media and the internet, compared to the almost minute reaction given to the men or members of staff in the bar in which the incident took place, further emphasises the gross sexual and gender imbalance that continues to dictate society when it comes to women and sex.
Taking videos, photographs and shaming women for choosing to have a late night or potential one-night stand makes a mockery of women's sexual freedom and empowerment.
So, instead of calling this page 'hilarious', it's about time society sees it for what it really is – a grotesque, sexist invasion of privacy and decency.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
