Sex in the News: United Sluts

May 31, 2011 3:30 pm     Posted in Relationships, Sex  Ashley - University of Michigan g+ page


By Ashley

Call me a slut. You wouldn’t be the first. And even though I am in a committed, monogamous relationship, I have been known to show off some cleavage, drink a little too much wine with dinner, and even talk to other men. I guess in today’s world, that makes me a slut.

The word “slut” has been making a lot of global headlines lately. Just last week, MSNBC’s host Ed Schultz was suspended from his radio talk show program for calling Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut.”

Despite the fact that Laura is a Roman Catholic and a married mother of two, Laura Ingraham, like the rest of us, is a slut. Schultz later apologized through both a personal contact and a public announcement. He was quoted saying, “ I have embarrassed my family. I have embarrassed this company. The only way I can prove my sincerity in all of this is if I never use those words again. You have my word I wont.” That’s fine Ed. Even if you won’t someone else will.

Take for example the Toronto police officer who told a group of law students that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”  This one comment, similar to many that have been said before, started a wave of protests in cities all across the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, and throughout Europe. (Natalie Craig, A rally to find the slut in everyone). These anti-rape protests, now named Slutwalks, have included hundreds of thousands of women and men, all actively fighting against “victim-blaming” and sexual assault. In the Toronto protest, the first of the worldwide trend, the activists’ apparels ranged from fishnet tights and black leather to sweatshirts and jeans. This image was mirrored in several other protests.

Many marchers have appeared to be conservative and chaste while several others have dressed radically and sexual. Most of the Slutwalkers chanted with signs, including, “my clothes are not my consent,” “slut pride,” and “a dress is not a yes.” These blended with prolific speeches by feminists and activists alike. “If you call one of us a slut, you call all of us a slut, and we’re not afraid of that word — the more we use it, the less power it has,” Karen Pickering, an organizer of the Toronto Slutwalk, was quoted in saying.  She later ended the event with, it’s “about to get real,” leaving many with the feeling of an emerging third feminist movement. There was no burning of bras or picketing for the right to vote, but there was a feeling of sexual liberation and perhaps even an official purging of the slut-condemnation.

So go ahead and call me a slut. See if I care.

What do you think? Does it upset you when men call women they don’t like a slut? Is it possible for women to take back the word slut? Sound off in the comments.

17 Comments on "Sex in the News: United Sluts"

  1. Rhi says:
    Tue, 31st May 20116:52 pm 

    I love that you refer to this as possible another feminist movement, but I think one aspect of it that needs to be stressed is this: often, it is other women doing the slut name calling. If we want men to stop using that term, we need to embrace the word so it no longer has power, and not use it to maliciously attack other women.

  2. Miranda says:
    Tue, 31st May 20117:32 pm 

    This is definitely a step forward, and the fact that this movement has gone international is even better. Is slut a demeaning, heteronormative word that sexualizes women and is an example of porn culture?-yes. However, by reclaiming this word the female community is saying a that rape is just not acceptable. Hopefully, with the advent of slutwalks a change in attitudes will emerge, stressing "Don't Rape" rather than "Don't Get Raped"

  3. Marisa says:
    Tue, 31st May 20117:44 pm 

    I think men believe that the word "slut" means more than it does. Women call each other sluts when they don't know what else to say. I agree with Rhi the real issue is women constantly attacking each other and I think that is what we should be discussing, not whether or not we are all sluts because honestly I don't care how much you drink or how much attention you get from men.

  4. sarah says:
    Tue, 31st May 201110:48 pm 

    What does the fact that Laura Ingraham is Roman Catholic have anything to do with it?

  5. criolle johnny says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20116:43 am 

    I was with ya until the last eight words. Don't put yourself in a bad situation. Lock your doors when you leave the house and you have less chance of getting robbed. Wear a coat in winter and you have less chance of frostbite.
    If you're dressed like a drunken hooker walking through the nasty part of town … drunk, alone, at four in the morning, you're setting your dumb ass up for trouble.
    Protect yourself.
    Don't Rape. Don't make a target of yourself. Trusting the whole world is naive.

  6. Caitlin says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20118:32 am 

    I agree. I don't think it can be said that dressing in a provocative manner sets you up for rape, but come on, let's not stumble around at 5 AM drunk off your ass in a nasty part of town. If a woman did that, there's a very high possibility she'd get raped. If a man did it, he'd probably get mugged. That's not victim blaming, that's just common sense. I hate that people seem to just excuse that when someone is raped. "There's nothing you could have done to prevent it"–well, actually, no, you could have stuck to better parts of town, not gotten so drunk, and brought a buddy. No one would excuse that kind of behavior if it was a man who got mugged and beat up.

  7. anon says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20119:40 am 

    Most rapes are so called "date rapes", someone you know and think you can trust takes advantage. This feels worse because you think you should have known, but getting a little drunk or dressing up when going out with friends or on a date shouldn't be dangerous, and most of the time they would do it regardless of your attire. You trust that the people you're with are there for you not against you. I was raped by an ex boyfriend in a jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, neither my attire nor my attitude provoked him, he was angry and controlling and I couldn't have changed that. I spent years accepting this and trust me I went over every way I could possibly have brought it on myself because I was sure I must have. We aren't talking about being stupid, women already know about the buddy system in unknown areas and with strangers, but I bet you don't bring a buddy to meet your boyfriend or classmates. The issue is the way the victim is treated. The responding officers to my case still asked what I'd done to bring it on. This is not an acceptable way to respond for either the officers or for anyone else.

  8. Miranda says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 201111:00 am 

    This is a fine example of slut shaming, stressing that our modern day society needs to put some responsibility on the men (and women) who commit rape. It shouldn't matter if you are dressed like "a drunken hooker" or in jeans and t-shirt, there is never an excuse for sexual assault and rape. Furthermore, the minority of rapes are stranger rapes. Around 80% of rapes are perpetrated by those the victim already knows, and has some sort of relationship with. In addition, the fact that only 20% of rapes are actually reported highlights that some real changes are needed in the way our society reacts to and addresses sexual violence.

  9. Renee says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 201112:01 pm 

    enlightening article.
    Yes most rapes happen by people you know. However, many rapist can get off of their charges by blaming the victim. The truth is I should be allowed to walk down the street or go on a date naked (or next to it) without fear of rape. My body is my body and how i display it is MY CHOICE. – if i choose to be naked the only person who should touch me is an officer and only to arrest me for exposing myself in public.

    WE as a society need to stop blaming ALCOHOL, CLOTHING, AND PAST ENCOUNTERS for rape.
    It is not smart to walk down the streets alone, drunk, and in revealing clothing at 3am- but this does not condone the actions taken by a rapist. It is still a crime.

  10. Rachel says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 201112:53 pm 

    I believe it's because Catholics tend to project this image of "purity" (for lack of a better word).

    However, (and I'm a former Catholic, so I can say this fairly confidently), many Catholics are just judgmental hypocrites.

    However, none of that means the woman deserved to be called a slut.

  11. Maggie says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20114:41 pm 

    I don't think being a former Catholic is a reason for you to be allowed to make a generalization like that. As someone who has grown up Catholic and has attended Catholic school for 13 years of my life, I know many people who consider themselves to be Catholic and engage in premarital sex and many who choose to abstain from sex. Those who abstain do not look down on those who have chosen to have sex. The majority of Catholics these days don't have as traditional of views as many of the older Catholics. The only issue that I think most of my Catholic friends agree on is being pro-life, but even then there is hardly ever any judgmental talk when someone we know has an abortion, rather people just find it sad.

    Another main belief of the Catholic faith is forgiveness. Through reconciliation Catholics believe that God forgives our sins, and that if you are sorry for them He will not hold them against you, because we do not believe that God is vengeful.

    Also I would take a step back and look at what you just posted. You are calling a group of people judgmental hypocrites. Is that not a little judgmental and there for also hypocritical?

    All this being said, I do not think that the fact that Laura Ingraham is a Roman Catholic has anything to do with this story. Like I said before, I know a large amount of Catholics and am one myself, and would have an extremely hard time saying that as a group, they are purer than anyone else. Some of the "sluttiest" people I know consider themselves to be Catholics.

  12. criolle johnny says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20115:53 pm 

    A stupid person CAN not be taught.
    A ignorant person HAS not been taught.
    A fool WILL not be taught.
    "Suffer fools gently…" 2nd Corinthians"
    I must be a sinner.

  13. Holly says:
    Wed, 1st Jun 20116:19 pm 

    I think there is a classy slutty in dress attire. I think there is no excuses for rape. Nothing condones it. We live in a very testosterone driven world and women need to know what they are in for and keep the control. Stay away from duudes who are immoral.

  14. walter says:
    Sat, 4th Jun 20111:03 pm 

    i love sluts! no really i do! sucks that they have to labeled in such a bad manner…
    anyway! go dirtyhotproductions.com! we have sluts there !!

  15. Courtney says:
    Sat, 11th Jun 20113:03 am 

    well thats not necessarily true, i call my friends sluts all the time, we use it as a form of endearment!

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