Slutty nurse. Slutty bunny. Slutty pirate. Slutty pumpkin. We have just passed the season of costumed festivities and the rise of “the Halloween sluts.” Or at least, that’s what people tend to say around this time of year. Even though many people use the word slut, they often don’t know the message they actually send to women by using the term.
The word slut generally means a woman who has lots of sex. Possibly lots of casual sex. A woman who is sexually promiscuous. Presumably, this woman enjoys her copious amounts of sex and isn’t ashamed of it.
So when the word slut is thrown around as an insult, what the person is really saying is, “Hey, you must have lots of sex and I don’t like that. You should feel shame about this.” Which really, once you think about it, isn’t much of an insult at all.
Except, in a society where a woman’s worth is tied to what she does with her body, people tend to think this is a really horrible thing to say to a woman. The more sex a woman has, specifically the more casual sex a woman has, the less “worthy” she becomes. This is why the word slut is generally seen as insulting.
Even more problematic is the assumption that what a woman wears is indicative of her sexual activity. The idea is that the amount of clothing a woman wears is directly correlated to how much and what kind of sex she has. Wear long skirts and long sleeve shirts? Virgin. Prude. Wear fishnet tights, a corset and high heels? Slut. Whore.
As if what goes on your body is directly tied to how many people you sleep with. Needless to say, this is a fairly ridiculous assumption to be making. Frankly, it’s pretty idiotic.
So here’s the breakdown. A guy sees a woman in her Alice in Wonderland costume, which features a short skirt, low-cut blouse and heels.
Here’s what he says.
“Look at that girl’s costume. She’s such a slut.”
What he actually means.
“Look at what she’s wearing. Obviously, less square inches of cloth means she has lots of sex — and it’s probably casual. I don’t approve of this.”
A woman sees another woman in the above outfit and says.
“I would never wear that. She’s such a slut.”
What she actually means.
“Look at what she’s wearing. She must have lots of sex and I’d never want that.”
Sounds ridiculous? That’s because it is.
Making assumptions about a woman’s sexual activity based on what she is wearing, then attempting to shame that woman for aforementioned presumptions — it’s pretty silly when you think about it.
So next time you are tempted to call a woman a slut, take a moment and think about what you sound like, and what you are really saying. And if you proceed, know that using the word slut as an insult is pretty darn ridiculous.
Kaitlin Moroney can be reached at [email protected]