Like ‘nigger,’ the term ‘slut’ has also been widely used to describe a stigmatized group in a derogatory way. ‘Slut’ was first used to refer to a “dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman,” but is now used in the modern sense to signify a sexually promiscuous woman (Harper, 2015). The term typically implies loose moral character and other negative judgements commonly associated with excessive sexual activity, and has no common pejorative male equivalent. This links it to a traditionally negative societal view of women as sexual beings, and the subsequent degradation of women perceived to be ‘slutty.’ As a result of its derogatory reference to female sexuality, ‘slut’ and related terms become a topic of discussion in feminist discourse. Its use has …show more content…
The marches were organized by feminist groups in response to Constable Michael Sanguinetti’s statement that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized” (Craig, 2011). The demonstrations, called ‘SlutWalks,’ consist primarily of young women marching in provocative clothing to protest the attribution of sexual assault to a victim’s appearance and “assumptions about their sexuality,” as well as other forms of victim-blaming (Jarvis et al., 2011, FAQs). These marches are part of a larger sex-positive feminist movement in support of rape victims and against …show more content…
Social movements such as the SlutWalks can promote solidarity between women through ideologies that promote female empowerment and sexual liberation, which can further encourage reclamation in that the group is likely to seek a defining label for themselves, as is the case with ‘slut.’ According to SlutWalk organizer Karen Pickering, “if you call one of us a slut, you call all of us a slut, and we’re not afraid of that word — the more we use it, the less power it has” (Westcott, 2011). This demonstrates how solidarity may be achieved through the reclamation of a term by voluntarily applying it to a stigmatized group, as the act of self-labeling may be used to achieve an ameliorated group identity. This is in contrast to being labeled by outsiders, as this would not invoke the positive in-group identity associated with the term (Galinsky et al., 2003, p. 245). This forms a reciprocal relationship between the SlutWalks and the reclamation of ‘slut,’ as the movement provides motivation for reappropriation in the form of a desire for group solidarity, while the act of reappropriation simultaneously strengthens the group’s identity through unified
Women of color are treated differently; law does not function as a social mediator between relationships of all people. The focus is on women of colour and how non-white communities are considered inherently violent. By such stereotypes, rape myths create a belief that certain races are more dangerous than others, creating fear based on the social construction of society. Using the ``Slut Walk`` article as an example: women have argued ``it is different for a white middle class women to wear something slutty and march in a parade than a women of colour.`` Due to the social construction black woman are more likely to have their characters stereotype and are seen more promiscuous compared to white woman. (Julie Dowsett Lecture).Stereotyping has even gone so far where a police official made a comment about York university students, referring to the females saying “they should not dress like a slut” to reduce assault (Slutwalk 249). Such rape myths put women on the line, claiming that it is their fault for getting sexually assaulted because they provoke men. “Such stereotypical assumptions find their roots in many cultures, including our own. They no longer, however, find a place in Canadian law” (R. v. Ewanchuck
With so many opportunities to learn about their sexuality denied, Latina girls are forced to empower their own sexual knowledge on their own or with the help of friends. One example is through the use of self-respect. Similar to how mothers often instill a sense of self-respect on to their daughters, many Latina girls use the same concept to redefine the concept of the good girl/ bad girl dichotomy. Instead of the act itself automatically labeling girls as bad girls, it is the reasoning behind their sexual activities that ultimately matter. If a girl has sex within an established sexual relationship, that may or may not be defined as love, she is viewed as a good girl. But if a girl has indiscriminate sexual relations without regard to their own sexual health, she is labeled a skank or a hoe and thus a bad girl. Additionally, young Latinas often empower their sexuality, through the
Before social media was ever a thing, there was not much meaning when a girl was singled out and called a slut. When called a slut, the girl definitely knew that she as was being bullied and harassed. However, today the word “slut” is so casually used that it is almost like greeting someone. “Through the “slut” greeting, girls and young women hail each other the way police officers hails the citizens” (Tanenbaum, 2015, pg.113). It has been so widely used by many girls that
Internalized homophobia is when negative attitudes from the primary group, mainly family but also the surrounding community, cause negative homophobic thoughts in a person that has same-sex attraction, but may not identify with it. This kind of internalization creates lack of self worth for those that do not “come out”. Research supports that internalized homophobia contributes to lower self-acceptance, loneliness, depression, and the lessened ability to come out to others. Internalized homophobia has a high impact on lesbians because society’s norms are to be married to a man and reproduce, and this norm is the majority in small, rural communities. Because of this norm, lesbians try to maintain a “normal”, “acceptable” lifestyle, and get married and have children, while fighting within themselves about their identity. “A number of studies have found that the degree of internalized homophobia was inversely related to relationship satisfaction in lesbians” (Spencer, 2007, pg. 258).
Modern America, in accordance to course materials and personal experiences, overtly sexualizes people, specifically among the youth, engendering new versions of gender expectations, roles, relationships, and how society views people based on appearance, sexual promiscuity or supposed promiscuity, and so on. Easy A (2011) represents an example clarifying how gender socialization impacts today’s youth via several concepts such as slut shaming, slut glorification, challenging masculinity, dating/hooking up, gender expectations and social acceptance. This film primarily focuses on a female’s promiscuity. Olive, the main character, is automatically labeled slut, after a rumor she unintentionally sparked by a bathroom conversation. Soon, the rumor spread and Olive became “school slut” in minutes.
Leora Tanenbaum’s book Slut! imposes the argument of the unfairness and small mindedness of the sexual double standard between teenagers and what leads them to label others of the name slut. Throughout the book, the author discloses many different studies and stories to help the readers understand the underlying cause and issue of the name slut and how it affects different girls and women around the country.
Over the last twenty years the Guerrilla Girls have established a strong following due to the fact that they challenged and consistently exhibited a strong supportive subject matter that defies societal expectations. In an interview “We reclaimed the word girl because it was so often used to belittle grown women. We also wanted to make older feminists sit up and n...
Due to the girl’s current lifestyle and behavior, the mother is focused on sharing the value to save her daughter from a life of promiscuity. The mother fears her daughter will become a “slut” and insists that is exactly what the daughter desires. Moreover, the mother is very blunt with her view when she uses repetition with the statement, “… the slut you are so bent on becoming.” (Kincaid92). It is very clear that the mother holds a reputation to such a standard that it could determine the overall quality of a woman and her life. Therefore, a woman’s sexuality should be protected and hidden to present the woman with respect and to avoid the dangers of female sexuality. The mother is very direct in calling out certain, specific behaviors of the daughter. Such as, the way the daughter walks, plays with marbles, and approaches other people. The mother is very persistent that the daughter must act a certain way that can gain their community’s respect. She fears the social consequence of a woman’s sexuality becoming
However, the stigma of openly sexual women was not eliminated therefore marking down women's sexual freedom because of the stigma they carry in society.In conclusion, chapter by chapter hooks highlights how feminist theory repeatedly excluded non-white and working class women by ignoring white supremacy as a racial problem and by disregarding the highly psychological impact of class in their political and social status all while, in the case of black women, facing three classes of oppression in a racist, sexist and capitalist state. Throughout the book the author defines feminism, the meaning of sisterhood, what feminism is to men in addition to brushing upon power, work, violence and education. Although I found some elements of this book problematic hooks' critiques of feminist theory and the movement are well-presented, piercingly direct and remain relevant.
...rms of power and source of pride in society. Emphasizing sexism in language and rising the concern with words can be a vital feminist strategy to provoke social change (Weatherall, 2002). Language can produce a false imagination and represents women and men unequally, as if members of one sex were somehow less wholly human, less complex, and has fewer rights than members of the other sex. Sexist language also characterizes serotypes of women and men, sometimes to the disadvantage of both, but more often to the disadvantage of women. (Wareing & Thomas, 2012). As a result, it is necessary that individuals have the right to define, and to redefine as their lives unfold, their own gender identities, without regard to genitalia, assigned birth sex, or initial gender role. Language about women is not a nonaligned or an insignificant issue but profoundly a political one.
The sexualization of women in the 21st century has led many to wonder whether or not the feminist movement actually resulted in more harm than good. Although the progress and reform that came out of the feminist movement is indisputable, things such as equal rights under the law, equal status and equal pay, the reality is that the subjugation of female roles in society still exist, and the most surprising part about this is that now women are just as much as at fault for this as men are. Ariel Levy defines female chauvinist pigs as “women who make sex objects of other women and of ourselves” (Levy 11). This raunch culture is mistakenly assumed to be empowering and even liberating to women when it is in fact degrading and corrupting to the modern feminist movement and makes it more difficult for women to be taken seriously in society. The shift in the nature of the feminist movement is in Levy’s opinion attributed to by the massive industry now profiting off of the sexualization of women, the reverse mindset now adopted by post-feminists and women in power roles in our society, and ultimately the women who further their own objectification as sex objects and thus, so by association, deem themselves lesser than man.
When women’s desires are less worthy of concern or not worthy of concern at all, it becomes evident that the hookup culture promotes women being used as a tool or a means to an end for male satisfaction. According to the Kantian moral theory, the culture is immoral because the woman is no longer being respected. The ambiguity of the hookup culture couple with societal effects of inegalitarian porn, according to Eaton’s “A Sensible Anti-Porn Feminist” and power imbalances in the sexes creates a culture that fosters rape. Women are placed in predicaments where they have to give in to pushy, coercive behavior by men who want to go further than the women intends to. Even if a woman feels liberated by participating in the hookup culture, that doesn’t mean she wants to go all the way, with every partner, every time. The objectification of women and rape are two serious and harmful effects of the hookup culture.
In high school, a boy made up a rumor that we had sex at a party. The rumor spread around, and no seemed to take my word over his; they said I was only denying it because of regret. The most frustrating part of it was that people were calling me a slut, and at the same time were congratulating him. This stems from the impossible double standard that women face when it comes to sex. Women are shamed for having and enjoying sex, yet the same behavior is expected and even celebrated in men. Terms like “whore” and “slut” are almost exclusively used on women, and there is no male equivalent. The shaming doesn’t come from society having a problem with sex but is a facet of how the patriarchy enforces male dominance over women. Some of the more dangerous aspects of patriarchy are the condoning of men asserting their dominance over women verbally and physically. Only a daily basis women have to deal with men thinking they have a right to touch us without an invitation, to say unprovoked and unwarranted sexual things to us; to call us “bitch” or a “tease” when we point out unacceptable behavior. When I worked a Café over the summer I had problems with a man who would come in and make me uncomfortable; when we were alone in the café he would approach my cash and tell me about how he could use his phone to turn off the Café’s security camera’s. He would
In just a few decades The Women’s Liberation Movement has changed typical gender roles that once were never challenged or questioned. As women, those of us who identified as feminist have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at...
The functionalist perspective views the family as they perform six paramount functions which are reproduction, protection, socialization, regulation of sexual behavior, affection and companionship, and provision of social status. Reproduction has to happen to replace dying members. Protection is in all cultures, it’s normal to have the responsibility to protect and up bring the children. Socialization happens so kinfolk and parents monitor their kid’s behaviors and transmit their norms, values, and language of their culture. Regulation of sexual behavior is where the sexual norms are subject to change over time.