Feminism has recently become a rather large aspect of my life. This doesn't mean I'm out there beating up men purely because of their chromosomes but it does mean that everyday sexism is starting to grate on me A LOT! And recently the thing that has been annoying me the most is 'slut-shaming'. Slut-shaming is the act of calling out women as 'sluts', 'whores' or 'hoes' simply because of how the dress or how they spend their past time. I first noticed it's massive presence when the "Hey Girls..." meme started popping up on my Facebook every three minutes. Girls with webcams telling me to put my boobs away, wear less make-up or shut my legs. These aren't girls I know, just random girls who think that having a Tumblr account somehow puts them in a position to condemn other women. The meme was first started by a girl on Tumblr named Sabrina and although she deleted the picture very quickly once something's on the internet it's there forever. It wasn't long until thousands of other micro-bloggers picked up on it and it became a major feature on my Dashboard.
Anyway the meme did what meme's do best and died quickly and I hoped 'slut-shaming' might be something that we as a society could move past. This was until I logged into my YouTube account and watched a Jenna Marbles video called Things I Don't Understand About Girls 2: The Sluts Edition. I normally enjoy Jenna's videos, they might not be the most sophisticated out there but they are harmless fun, however, this one left me feeling condemned and hated. She speaks about girls getting drunk, not wearing enough clothes and letting guys take advantage of them.
This is where the idea of slut-shaming really hit home for me. I am a 18 year old, female, British student. This means I spend a fair amount of my time drinking and going out with friends, yeah it's not the most productive past time but I have fun so why should I be ashamed of it? I also like wearing make-up and nice clothes, again is this something I should stop doing because it makes me seem like a slut? Not only this, I have been drunk in clubs where I have lost all my friends and had creepy guys trying to make a move on me. Is this my fault? I am a bad human being because (when drunk) a man has forgotten normal social boundaries? No. It's not my fault, it doesn't make me a slut and even if it did why is it the concern of Jenna or any of the other girls filling up my Dashboard. For me it comes down to a case of why do you care so much? If girls are happy living the 'slutty' way they are why are you interfering? Some people might think it's because of jealousy but I believe it's just become too easy to just dismiss a girl as a 'slut' or a 'whore' and have no one question why you think that. Girls do it to eachother all the time, and that's where the problem lies. I went to an all girls Catholic school and I know how harsh other girls can be to each other about things they don't even understand. It's so easy when questioned on why you hate someone to answer with "oh she's such a slut!" but it's not ok. So if you haven't got a new years resolution yet maybe consider this; if you don't like the way someone dresses or you don't like how they act then just leave them alone. Spending your days calling other girls sluts is pointless, it ruins any progression feminism has made and is a waste of your own time to have fun.
To quote the amazing Tina Fey in Mean Girls we "all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores"
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This is where the idea of slut-shaming really hit home for me. I am a 18 year old, female, British student. This means I spend a fair amount of my time drinking and going out with friends, yeah it's not the most productive past time but I have fun so why should I be ashamed of it? I also like wearing make-up and nice clothes, again is this something I should stop doing because it makes me seem like a slut? Not only this, I have been drunk in clubs where I have lost all my friends and had creepy guys trying to make a move on me. Is this my fault? I am a bad human being because (when drunk) a man has forgotten normal social boundaries? No. It's not my fault, it doesn't make me a slut and even if it did why is it the concern of Jenna or any of the other girls filling up my Dashboard. For me it comes down to a case of why do you care so much? If girls are happy living the 'slutty' way they are why are you interfering? Some people might think it's because of jealousy but I believe it's just become too easy to just dismiss a girl as a 'slut' or a 'whore' and have no one question why you think that. Girls do it to eachother all the time, and that's where the problem lies. I went to an all girls Catholic school and I know how harsh other girls can be to each other about things they don't even understand. It's so easy when questioned on why you hate someone to answer with "oh she's such a slut!" but it's not ok. So if you haven't got a new years resolution yet maybe consider this; if you don't like the way someone dresses or you don't like how they act then just leave them alone. Spending your days calling other girls sluts is pointless, it ruins any progression feminism has made and is a waste of your own time to have fun.
To quote the amazing Tina Fey in Mean Girls we "all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores"
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