Walk of shame

A walk of shame is a situation in which a person must walk past strangers or peers alone for an embarrassing reason before reaching a place of safety and privacy.

In sports

In sports in which a player can be ejected from the match (such as penalty cards, disqualifying fouls, et al), their passage off the pitch is frequently referred to as a walk of shame, especially in instances where the player looks more remorseful than angry.^[1]^[2]^[3] This is generally amplified, especially in association football (soccer), as the opposing team's supporters generally feel few inhibitions at barracking the player with abuse as they leave.^{[citation needed]} A similar term is used on the BBC game show The Weakest Link, where regardless of the country it aired, the host would send off the contestant, and the contestant would walk off the stage in a similar manner.^{[citation needed]}

Returning from a one-night stand

It is also often used to describe the morning after a night out at a bar, nightclub, or party. People undertaking the walk of shame are understood to have spent the night at the residence of a sexual partner (or perceived sexual partner), particularly a one-night stand.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] The topic is often the subject of college newspaper commentary.^[10]^[11] The "walker" may often be identified by their disheveled appearance and incongruous evening attire, particularly on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

In exhibitionism

In exhibitionism, the walk of shame may also refer to an exhibitionist walking in public while exposed—either partially or fully naked—and trying to reach a place of safety and privacy.

References

^ "The Walk of Shame". ESPN. 13 December 2013. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
^ "Preston's Alan Browne forced to return from walk of shame down tunnel to be shown red card". FourFourTwo. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
^ "Hazard's Walk of Shame". goal.com. 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
^ Lunceford, Brett (October 1, 2008). "The walk of shame: a normative description". ETC: A Review of General Semantics. Retrieved May 30, 2016. ("This essay considers how the descriptor "walk of shame" functions to discipline female sexual practice by reinforcing gender stereotypes and punishing women who transgress socially constructed norms.")
^ Paul, Elizabeth J. Beer Googles, Catching Feelings, and the Walk of Shame: The Myths and Realities of the Hookup Experience, in Kirkpatrick, Dan Charles et al. (ed.), Relating Difficulty: The Processes of Constructing And Managing Difficult Interaction (2008) (ISBN 978-0805854121)
^ Morrison, Sarah (February 2002). "When I Did the Walk of Shame". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 10, 2010.("Whether you've woken up after a one-night stand with a drool-worthy stud or found yourself at your boyfriend's pad following an impromptu night of passion, sooner or later, every girl has had to face the harsh reality of that torturous trek home.")
^ "Turn Walk of Shame into Walk of Pride". Chicago Tribune. December 2, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.("Tracy, 41, insists that the Walk of Shame has a new meaning after a certain age. She refers to it as the Walk of Pride...")
^ Matt White (October 23, 1994). "L.A. SPEAK Frat Chat". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.("The long morning walk home to a fraternity or sorority house in the same clothes worn to a party the night before")
^ Leigh Pressley (April 23, 1992). "Colorful Language: Groups Adopt Buzzwords That Set Them Apart". Star-News. Retrieved February 10, 2010. (referring to "walk of shame" as a college group term")
^ Nate Widboom (April 14, 2004). "The walk of shame". The Badger Herald. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
^ Sara Chemodurow (February 7, 2010). "The 'walk of shame' only hurts your image". The Daily Evergreen. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2010.

Robin Anderton and Jay Desario (October 25, 2005). The Walk of Shame : A Survival Guide. Chamberlain Bros. ISBN 1-59609-047-2.
Lube (September 1, 2005). "Walk of shame no longer embarrasses; embrace morning-after". Independent Florida Alligator. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. – Lube asserts that the phrase is a "misnomer" because "shame is so rarely involved."
Lunceford, Brett. “Smeared Makeup and Stiletto Heels: Clothing, Sexuality, and the Walk of Shame.” In College Sex: Philosophy for Everyone: Philosophers With Benefits, edited by Robert Stewart and Michael Bruce, 51–60. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. In this essay, Lunceford argues that there is a semiotic base for the clothing involved in the walk of shame.
Rice, Kate (May 19, 2004). "The Wednesday Hump: Strutting With Pride: The Walk of Shame Need Not Be So Shameful". Daily Nexus. Archived from the original on April 15, 2006. – Rice provides tips on how to avoid appearing as if one is on the walk of shame, but concludes by asserting that there is nothing to be ashamed of, asking "What is so damn wrong with getting your freak on and waiting until morning to venture back home?"