Slut-Shaming is Stupid.

For most people, the word slut is a way to degrade, shame, and judge women for embracing, exploring, and feeling liberated in their sexuality. It’s a way to silence and critique women for doing something men are celebrated for. I despise slut shaming, and I used to believe that slut should be eradicated from the dictionary. This was until I realized that there is something powerful about that word. I intend to take the word back. There’s something liberating about taking back a term meant to shame and judge you. I know there’s a normative way to use “slut” in a sentence; it’s meant to be degrading and shameful. I don’t care about that usage; it belongs in the trash. Someone has to take it back, so I guess I will. Sung in the words of Bea Miller, a slut is a “sweet, little, unforgettable thing.” Miller inspired my mindset, and so did Samirah Raheem. 

Remember, that woman you called a thot, hoe, or slut could be the next president of the United States. There’s nothing more powerful than a slut. Sluts are CEO’s. Sluts are doctors, surgeons, nurses, and first responders. Sluts are innovators, inventors, and creators. They are decision-makers. Sluts are anything and anyone they want to be.

If you’re having difficulty wrapping your head around my mindset, just know that the word slut is subjective. I’m a slut because I am free and liberated in my body and sexuality. If a slut has complete autonomy over their choices, body, and means of self-expression, I don’t want to be anything but that. My blog recognizes this understanding of the term, that being a slut and being powerful go hand in hand. 

But remember, society doesn’t like powerful women very much. Slut shaming is a very effective tactic to “keep women in their place,” especially since it disempowers them while simultaneously blaming them. It’s essential to keep this patriarchal context in mind to understand the actual reason for slut shaming. It’s easy to feel like slutshaming results from your actions, as if you did something wrong. Spoiler alert: that’s all bullshit.

By distancing yourself from the normative, shameful usage of slut and recognizing that it’s directed at those who do whatever they want with their bodies, whenever they want, it becomes clear that slut-shaming is yet another desperate attempt to uphold the patriarchy and water down women’s inherent power.