Slut-shaming

Have you ever heard of the term? No? Well here's a bit of an explanation:

Finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com describes Slut-shaming as: "Slut-shaming, also known as slut-bashing, is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings. Furthermore, it’s “about the implication that if a woman has sex that traditional society disapproves of, she should feel guilty and inferior” (Alon Levy, Slut Shaming). It is damaging not only to the girls and women targeted, but to women in general an society as a whole. It should be noted that slut-shaming can occur even if the term “slut” itself is not used."

Apparently, slut-shaming is a massive deal in The States at the moment. It is so severe that it recently drove a 15-year-old teenager, Felicia Garcia, to jump in front of a moving subway - all because she was so intensely bullied. Two days before her death she even tweeted:  "I can't, I'm done, I give up."

She allegedly slept with four football players at a party. When she arrived back at school on the Monday, most of the other students heard about the orgy. Felicia was harassed in the hallways and in class by both guys and girls who called her a 'slut' and a 'whore'.

It was so severe that she could barely stand it. Did the guys who she slept with get bullied? No, they were praised.

I think that women are often a massive cause of something such as slut-shaming. Women often call women out other women, mostly in the form of gossip, but often to their face. Women discipline each other in this way, keeping each other in line with that which they believe to be right. For many 'sleeping around'is of course something which a woman shouldn't do.

For some reason it is 'better' for men to sleep around than women. So ridiculous.

Why the double-standards? Seriously I am so sick of this. Men might sometimes be called "man-whores", which I think they rather view as a kind of 'badge of honour' rather than an insult. I think we as women often look to men to stop their sexist ways.

Yet, I feel that when the majority of women start to encourage and support, rather than criticize each other for their choices and ways of dressing, then we'll start to see some real change.

Shall we start with us?