Slut Shaming

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According to Urban Dictionary, the number one most thumbed-up definition for the word slut is “a woman with the morals of a man.” It’s a derogatory word used by classmates, media reporters, and even politicians to objectify and ridicule women who don’t fit the status quo for how a traditional feminine woman should act. “Slut-shaming” is the unfortunate phenomenon in our society in which many women are constantly criticized and degraded for their perceived promiscuity or sexuality. While many people defend their opinions by saying that sluts do not have any self-respect and lack decent morals, it is clearly ignorant and should not be tolerated. In fact, slut-shaming is a dangerous problem because it contributes to the double-standard of women, is a form of bullying that leads to horrible consequences, and plays a huge part in rape culture through victim blaming.
However, some people still carry the misogynist mindset that women who act like a “slut” simply lack positive guidance and that this new mainstream shaming might help prevent naive girls from making bad decisions. George Tyndale from The Sunday Mercury defends his position by saying, “Peer pressure is the only thing that many young girls respond to, and if fellow teenagers are the only thing that makes them think twice about their appearance and behavior, then so be it” (Tyndale). Many others agree with him, as well as blame other girls for their “cattiness” and are disgusted by the disturbing over-sexualization in today’s media. They justify their crude remarks by believing that they are helping them; that their slander is actually sensible advice that should be taken (Tyndale). Instead, they are contributing to a society that dehumanizes women and makes it seem like we ...

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