**5 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SLUT SHAME THIS HALLOWEEN**
1. Calling women sluts/whores/skanks is a form of sexism.When
it comes to costumes, clothing, and sexual behavior, women are judged
by a very different rubric than men. When a guy has a lot of sex, he’s a
stud. If a woman behaves the same way, she’s a “whore”, “dirty”, “used
up”, and doesn’t deserve to be treated with respect. While people may
use terms like “manslut” or “manwhore”, the consequences for the
“manwhore” are not nearly as extreme. People don’t see him as unworthy
of respect. He won’t be degraded, bullied, or have lies and rumors
spread about him. His reputation won’t be destroyed. Being a
“manwhore” is dismissed as him *~just being a guy~*.
Because slut shame is a result of sexist ideas about what a woman “should” be or is allowed to do/be in the first place, women slut-shaming each other is a form of internalized sexism. This is where
a woman believes sexist things about herself and other women. It can
be very disruptive and harmful to women’s relationships with each other.
These are some of the ways slut shame is entrenched in sexism.
2. Slut shame limits women’s freedom.Calling
women names and degrading them when they *break the rules* about how a
woman is SUPPOSED to dress or behave ensures that women don’t have the
same freedom men do. They are not allowed to dress or do what they
like…unless they want to pay the price of being bullied or dehumanized
for it.
3. Slut shame is one of the ways women compete with each other for male approval. Slut-shaming
creates a divide between women. There are the “slutty stupid ones”
with “no self respect” and there are the “proper ladies” who deserve to
be treated as human. Instead of building women up and cultivating
healthy friendships, slut shame turns women against each other so that
the slut-shamer can prove she’s “not like that” and therefore worthy of
respect. It puts women into harmful categories based on nothing more
than how someone dresses or is perceived by others.
4. Slut shame is a form of bullying.
Girls who break outside the mold of what they are supposed to do/be sexually and are thusly labeled sluts are at a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide. There have been many suicides that started with bullying in the form of slut shame. RIP Felicia Garcia, Amanda Todd, Phoebe Prince, Hope Witsell, Stacey Rambold’s unnamed victim, and all the other young women who have tragically taken their own lives because of the heartlessness and sexism of their peers.
Girls who break outside the mold of what they are supposed to do/be sexually and are thusly labeled sluts are at a higher risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide. There have been many suicides that started with bullying in the form of slut shame. RIP Felicia Garcia, Amanda Todd, Phoebe Prince, Hope Witsell, Stacey Rambold’s unnamed victim, and all the other young women who have tragically taken their own lives because of the heartlessness and sexism of their peers.
5. Slut shame leads to rape, sexual assault, and sexual violence.Because
people see “sluts” as unworthy of respect, she is therefore not
entitled to say no. In this mentality, “sluts” become a target of
harassment, assault, and even rape. After the violence, she is then
blamed for it. After all, she was just a dumb slut….she asked for it, right?
This Halloween (and always) be a good person.
Respect women, respect their choices, and check yourself when you find
yourself thinking or saying someone is a slut. It’s a deeply held
attitude about women that we all learn from our sexist culture, and it
is vital that we all take the time to unlearn it. These attitudes are
more vicious and dangerous than they might appear.
xx
Laci
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