According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word slut comes from British origins, meaning an untidy woman. A word with originally undesirable meaning has evolved to be downright derogatory. Merriam-Webster defines the word slut as “a promiscuous woman; especially a prostitute.” Slut is synonymous with hoe, whore, skank, and tramp, but I especially hate the word slut because it also encompasses the terms slutty and slut shaming, because I believe even using the word slut (or skank, or hoe, or whore, or tramp) is slut shaming in itself.
In a world where we can have sex at literally the flick of a finger (thaaank you, Tinder), hookup culture is more alive than ever. 495 of 1,270 of my Facebook friends have Tinder accounts, that means 39 percent of my friends are trying to find a sexual or romantic partner of some kind. Between heavy course loads, work study, internships, and parties, many of us are just too busy to be in a full-time relationship… So it would seem that hookups are a natural part of our generation.
Most people would agree that the common definition of the word slut is a woman who sleeps with multiple men… okay, so? As long as a woman isn’t in a committed relationship, what’s the shame in hooking up with different guys? This isn’t 1930, there is no rush for women to get married and have children by the time they’re 25. She’s not hurting anybody, she is simply exploring her sexual nature and enjoying herself… What is the shame in that?
On another note, if you go to Forever 21, American Eagle, Wet Seal, H&M, or any other store where young women shop, you will quickly see that the style for women in the 21st century is short and tight. In eighth grade, I was expected to wear knee-length shorts to school to be “appropriate”. My mom and I spent an entire Saturday driving around different malls trying to find a store that sold knee-length shorts because retailers don’t sell clothing like that for young women. Unless you expect women to wear jeans, turtlenecks, and maxi dresses all year… then get over it. Plus, a woman can be wearing next to nothing and it’s her prerogative because it’s her body.
Considering it’s completely natural for women to have multiple hookups, and wear whatever clothes that are shorter and tighter, the word slut shouldn’t even exist. Women shouldn’t be shamed for any of these things, calling someone a slut should be the equivalent of saying someone has brown hair… A futile observation. Having brown hair is just a fact about someone, just like someone who hooks up with multiple people, or someone who wears shorter tighter clothing… There’s no point in calling it out, it’s just a characteristic of a person, and it is definitely not a bad thing.
So if you say you aren’t a “slut shamer”, but you use the word slut, you are a slut shamer. Slut is an old word with an archaic meaning that nobody uses anymore, and it has evolved to be pointless slang that hurts people who have no reason to be ashamed of themselves. That is why I hate the word slut.
