So, I’m sure at least a few people came to this article hoping for a not-so-nice couple of paragraphs putting “hoes” in their place. I’ll start of by saying that if that’s what you’re here for, you should probably stick around. Hopefully, you’ll learn a thing or two. Recently, my roommate and I stumbled upon an unfortunate post on Facebook “How many females can honestly say you only been with one man in 2015?” As if the author were somehow better than other girls for only having been with one guy.

It didn’t take long to see how society has brainwashed women to react so violently to female sexuality. Honestly, it was baffling to see how many people “respected” women, yet drew the line at respecting “sluts and hoes.” And I’m not talking about just young adults and teenagers who think they know everything, I’m talking about women with jobs and families. By being so blatantly disrespectful of and hostile toward women who express themselves sexually, they are inadvertently teaching by example that these women aren’t worthy of respect. The words slut and hoe have become more than just words, they’re an overwhelmingly negative stereotype. They incorrectly categorize women who have no problem being open about their sexuality as unintelligent attention seekers with low self respect. And why? Hypersexuality in men and the objectification of women is considered completely normal in today’s society. After all, “boys will be boys.” However, the animosity toward promiscuous women is appalling, especially since such acts are praised in their male counterparts. The idea that a woman’s worth, or anyone’s worth for that matter, is somehow related to how many people they have (or haven’t) slept with is an archaic mentality that has no place in the modern world.

The double standard is so insane it’s (almost) funny. For example, a guy can send dick pics, and sure they’re probably unwanted and unwarranted, but you know, he’s a guy. It happens. But low and behold, the second a girl sends a topless pic (gasp) she’s an attention whore with no self-respect. Calling women by these names ties them and their reputation to a label. Labeling anyone just reduces them to nothing more than just one aspect of their personality. Psychologist Gordon Allport believed that personality is made up of central, secondary, and occasionally cardinal traits. Central traits are the core, biological building blocks of personality, while secondary traits are situational, and are often learned.

Cardinal traits, however, arise when a person's whole personality is dominated by one trait, and are extremely rare. So, by dissecting a woman’s entire personality and picking one trait and going “This. This is the only part of your personality that matters.” that’s turning a complex human being into a one-dimensional person. That’s like saying “You’re a hoe. And that’s it.” Though it seems that so many people like to disagree, a “hoe” is still a complex human, these woman are so much more than their sex lives! “Hoes” can be loving, mature, responsibly humans. Hoes can be bitchy, cold, and aloof. They can be strong, independant, passionate women. They can be pre-med students, artists, musicians, scientists, mathematicians, teachers. Hoes are someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. They’re people. So what if they just so happen to like sex?

In the immortal words of Tina Fey, "You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores." Now, I’m just going to go ahead and say how much I absolutely hate slut shaming. It makes my blood boil. It doesn’t make sense for women to knock down other women just because they freely express their sexuality. And then those same women feel a sense of superiority so as to condescendingly condemn someone for expressing themselves in a way that does not align with their own personal choices.

This isn’t to say that you need to agree with their way of life, but rather that you should respect their choice to live how they want. Because ultimately, it isn’t anyone's business. It isn’t directly affecting anyone's lives but hers. It shouldn’t be too difficult to have some basic human decency and recognize that these women who are so often dismissed and disrespected aren't all that different from you. Overall it shouldn’t matter how short her skirt is, how low cut her top is, how flirtatious she is, how much sex she has, because it doesn’t matter. How she chooses to present herself is her concern and hers alone. Is it too much to ask for basic respect? Is it really that hard for people to stop treating others like they’re somehow “less”? Especially if it’s for something that shouldn’t even matter in the first place.

As a society we have got to stop pitting women against each other for how much sex they have (or don’t have), how much makeup they wear (or don’t wear), how modestly or provocatively they choose to dress, whether they’re creative, or book smart, or social butterflies. We have got to stick up for each other and celebrate our differences rather than putting each other down for them! How does a girl being a “hoe” affect your life? It doesn’t. Is it hurting you? No, it isn’t. As long as everyone is being safe, let people make their own decisions and live their lives without meaningless hatred directed at them. If you find these ideas offensive, chances are you should go back and read this article again. It shouldn’t be that difficult to see that everyone has value, and respect them accordingly.