I Never Do The Walk Of Shame After A Hookup — More Like The Stride Of Pride

As women, we’re all too familiar with “the walk of shame.” Whether or not we’ve done it ourselves, the term is pretty much imprinted in our brains to induce embarrassment for daring to sleep with someone and making a quick getaway the next morning. Well, I call bullsh-t. I have never done, nor will I ever do, the walk of shame. For me, it’s more like a stride of pride — here’s why.

1. What do I have to be ashamed of? Calling heading home the morning after a hookup “the walk of shame” implies that there’s something inherently bad about sex. Unless you’re an extremely religious person whose personal beliefs mean sex before marriage is prohibited (and even then, that’s your thing, not mine), there’s nothing wrong or shameful about enjoying a hot night with someone. Miss me with that garbage.
2. The walk of shame is misogynistic as hell. Notice that men never do the walk of shame. The phrase is always, always applied to women. Apparently, we’re all meant to feel like sluts or harlots for daring to have sex with someone just because we want to. It’s yet another misogynistic idea that continues to be perpetuated in society and I’m really not here for it. If men can get their rocks off with whoever they want whenever they want, so the hell can I.
3. If it was good, why feel bad? Admittedly, not all hookups are particularly pleasurable or even memorable, but I certainly won’t be doing the walk of shame, sadness, or disappointment if it was a good experience. If a guy I slept with was great at sex, I’m going to be walking home the next morning celebrating that I got off and had a great night. It’s impossible to be in a bad mood after an amazing orgasm (or several).
4. It’s 2022 — judging people who have casual sex is not the vibe. Seriously, how old-fashioned can you get? Once casual sex became the norm, the whole concept of the walk of shame should have gone out the window. It assumes that you didn’t make the decision to get naked with someone of your own volition or that you’ll regret it later, and that’s ridiculous. For people like me who appreciate no strings attached and completely consensual encounters, that’s just ridiculous. Get with the times, people.

1. I don’t live with regrets. Even if the sex was really bad, I still never do the walk of shame the following morning. I never regret an experience because I’m someone who believes even the bad ones have something to teach us. Maybe I realize that just because a guy has big hands doesn’t mean he’ll be any good with them or that butt play isn’t really for me. Those are just examples, of course, but you know what I mean. I never regret hookups. If it was no good, I just vow never to repeat it with that particular guy. Simple.
2. Women get horny too, you know. It seems to be a widely accepted idea that men need 24/7 access to sex because they’re controlled by their d–ks and women just need to understand that and oblige them. Fine, but what about when I’m horny? Women are just as capable of going out and finding someone we want to sleep with and making it happen. It scratches an itch, so to speak. There’s no need for a walk of shame the following morning because it more like a mission accomplished.
3. I’m actually happy I found someone worth sleeping with. I feel like I have to point out here that just because I have casual sex doesn’t mean I sleep with just anyone. I’m actually quite choosy and I won’t hop into bed with a guy unless I feel some real chemistry and connection there. That means when I do sleep with someone, I’m actually kind of pleased with myself and happy for myself for finding someone worth taking my clothes off for. That’s why I say it’s a stride of pride rather than a walk of shame. Finding a decent guy to have sex with is an accomplishment these days!
4. I feel empowered by my sexuality, not ashamed. At the end of the day, this is what it comes down to. I’m a thoroughly modern woman with pretty liberal ideals. I don’t have any shame surrounding sex or my body, so I will never, ever be doing a walk of shame. I would encourage other women to follow suit. Don’t let society, particularly male society, make you feel bad for being in control of your body and using it for your own pleasure. You deserve it.