Slut Shaming

“OMG look at what she’s wearing! She’s such a slut!”

In the world we live in today, phrases like this are all too familiar.

This is a prime example of slut shaming, the act of guilting a woman for going against sexual social norms, such as being highly sexually active or wearing suggestive clothing.

As a teenage girl who enjoys wearing crop tops, tight clothing, and booty shorts, the terms “slut” and “whore” are constantly thrown at me for the clothing choices I make. Now I bet the majority of you are thinking to yourselves, “You’re choosing to dress like that. You’re asking for it.”

And that is where you are immensely WRONG.

To begin with, the words “slut” and “whore” have lost their actual meaning in today’s society due to over and improper usage. Let’s review the correct definitions of them:

slut: a woman who has many casual sexual partners.

whore: a prostitute.

For one, I am a virgin, so how in any way do either of these terms apply to me? That’s right, they don’t.

Secondly, the negative connotation attached to these words are unjustified. They are used with an an intent of degradation, however, the amount of sex a woman chooses to have, in no way determines her self-worth.  It is her body, and no one else’s, thus, she is able to do whatever she pleases with it. As long as what she is doing isn’t hurting anyone, it is acceptable for a woman to have as much or as little sex as she wants.

Society has planted the idea in our heads that a woman is worth less after having sex, when in fact, no sexual experience is powerful enough to define a woman. Furthermore, a commonly obliterated fact is that it is possible for women to have sex and self respect at the same time.

Now, onto the topic of clothing-based slut shaming. In our culture, any article of clothing that marginally exposes a girl’s breasts or butt is considered “slutty,” seeing that the female body is overly sexualized in media and by men.

One morning, as I was walking out the door wearing a crop top along with a pair of “short” shorts, my mother commented on my outfit, declaring that my attire made me look like a “cheap whore,” and that I’ll “get raped dressed like that.”

Regarding this statement, my justification as to why my outfit should be considered acceptable is:

1. I am not a sexual object.

A human cannot be “cheap.” In fact, a human cannot be worth any amount of money because they are not items that can be sold. Human beings are worth more than any cash value; we are priceless. Therefore, if humans are not objects, then the female body cannot be reduced to an object of desire.

Even though I wear outfits that display my breasts and butt, I am more than just those body parts. I have a brain, as well as feelings, opinions, and a personality. And yet, by dressing the way I do, the parts of me that make me a whole human being are forgotten.

I am more than just a commodity and the clothes I wear do not degrade my worth as a human. My clothes only affect my outward appearance, not my internal characteristics.

2. My body is not obscene.

Due to the media constantly advertising breasts as “scandalous,” a woman showing just a bit of cleavage is categorized as inappropriate, whereas a man going out completely topless is considered acceptable.

Men and women both have breasts, only female breasts are bigger and produce milk. Other than that, all breasts have the same components and are made the same way. While there is only a small difference between the the two, that difference is enough to demean the amount of respect that a person has towards a woman.

The norm for how much of the body a male and female can expose, needs to be set equivalent to one another. If “all men are created equal,” then why aren’t our standards?

3. Men need to stop supporting rape culture.

Hey, here’s an idea: teach men to control their sexual desires and predatory behaviors, instead of forcing girls to hide their bodies to avoid being taken advantage of.

By telling a girl to wear less revealing clothing, one is implying that she is to blame if she gets raped as a result of what she is wearing. It is setting forth the fact that men cannot discipline themselves, so it is the responsibility of women to not provoke them. As a result, rape is normalized through this misconception. However…

NOTHING is normal about rape.

NOTHING makes rape okay.

The problem here is not the provocative clothing that women wear, it’s the men who do not know how to respect women. If a girl has the power to restrict what she wears, then a guy has the power to restrict himself.

The next time any of you are tempted to call a girl a derogatory term, think about how valid your statement is. (Hah, that was a rhetorical.)

Slut shaming is invalid and unacceptable.

And a message to all the girls: do what YOU want want with your body, no one else controls it but YOU. -K