The Impact of Double Standards and Slut Shaming

Slut shaming has a multitude of negative impacts on young girls ranging from inferiority complexes to alarmingly low self -worth and -respect due to the double standards that surround slut shaming. Brought on by a condemnation of female sexuality in a society enthralled by sensuality, slut shaming is an all too common nightmare for many adolescent girls. Slut shaming has manifested into a cruel reality that almost every female will be faced with at some point in her lifetime. If you are fortunate enough to be a female, you must expect to be bombarded with mixed messages from today’s society. I believe that the reason for all the mixed messages we, as females, are plagued with is due to the fact that society has the expectation that women are meant to be pure and virginal; so, society (mainly men) decided that any woman that did something that tarnished what was said to be pure would be shamed for her actions. These standards ended up being passed down as societal norms, as medieval as they are, and are still ever present in modern societies worldwide. Leora Tanenbaum states in her article The Truth About Slut Shaming, slut-shaming is really just a catchy way to signify old-fashioned sexism.” Unfortunately, slut shaming has become an unavoidable part of growing up for the millennials and later generations and usually has extremely negative effects.

In my nearly nineteen years of existence on this planet, I have been called a slut for the last six of them. I was fourteen the first time I was called a slut; ironically I was a virgin who had never even had a boyfriend or kissed anyone. I remember hearing that word slut being thrown at me like a dagger yet not piercing me like one would expect – I was more stunned than hurt. The time after that though, it stung and so did every time after that for several years to come. Eventually, that derogatory term became a school wide nickname for me that even some of my so-called friends adopted. So there I was, fourteen and having people calling me a disgusting slut and concocting elaborate rumors about my sexual endeavors (which were actually nonexistent at the time). As a result, my self-esteem and self-regard plummeted as a result of the slut-shaming (and other bullying). After years of rumors and derogatory slurs being cast my direction I began to embrace the term as part of my identity; if people wanted to call me a slut for reasons, justifiable or not, they could, only now I wouldn’t let it affect me. I did not think of it as a derogatory slur but more as a way to express that I was comfortable with my sexuality and sensuality.

        No matter the generation, everyone is aware of the double standards that plague young adults; especially when it concerns one gender in comparison to the other. The most prevalent of the double standards is the expectations when it comes to sex and sensuality. These standards are very conflicting; I mean, how can a male have sexual relations with a relatively large number of females if none of the females are willing to put out for fear of ruining their pure image and their reputation? The answer to that, is that there will have to be some women who want/will sleep with males. Enter the concept of the slut and the main reason slut shaming occurs. It is common knowledge that males, if they sleep with lots of girls, are considered to be a stud and considered to have higher standings among other males. For a female, however, when they sleep with more than a couple of guys they are then considered to be dirty and a slut.  This double standard wreaks havoc on young girls who are struggling to understand the concepts, along with their own sense, of sex and sensuality. What is even worse, as Leora Tanenbaum points out in The Truth About Slut-Shaming, is that “it actually makes no difference if a girl or woman is sexually active or even utters any expression of sexuality: she can be called to task simply because she is female.” She then goes on to state that slut shaming “is grounded in the belief that men get to assert themselves, and women do not.” So basically, just for being a female in “modern” society, people find it justifiable to call one a slut for any given number of reasons; even if that reason has nothing to do with her sex life. Yet are men called sexually derogatory names for any given reason – sex related or not- to the point where it is a normal occurrence in society? Definitely not. “Men who have a lot of sexual partners are studs, Casanovas, pimps, and players. Never sluts.claims Jessica Valenti author of He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut: The Sexual Double Standard. Jessica then goes on to to say, “ When I just did a Google search for “male sluts,” the first result I got was She Male Sluts DVD! …The point is, there isn’t even a word — let alone a concept — to signify a male slut.

        While these sexist double standards have no place in today’s society (which preaches gender equality), they are blatantly present and it is clear that very little is being done to resolve these issues. So, this is a call to arms, in order to abolish these double standards and eliminate slut shaming from our culture women must set examples for others to follow. Stop calling each other sluts because of revealing outfits and flirtatious attitudes, do not let your guy friends call girls sluts or other sexually derogatory names (especially if they have had sexual relations with her), and never let someone tell you that you are less of a person because of what you choose to do with your body.  If you command respect, it will eventually be shown to you.