Slut shaming; a not so contemporary movement that seeks to belittle women for being shameless in the public portrayal of their bodies. As a result women and men alike are just senselessly pitting themselves against one another in a futile fashion. One shouldn't have to seek prior approval from another human being to live their lives as they would like to if it isn't causing any threat to another. Women on every inch of the Earth are constantly being told that they must conceal themselves both physically as well as through their speech so that they may appeal to the broader male audience and to portray themselves as women that are respectable or "ladylike", there are several reasons why this is problematic and here's why:
In my opinion, there is no such thing as ladylike because women come in all different shapes and forms, factors such as your body shape have so much more to do with genetics than the artificially constructed ideals that sexists and bigots would like to make us believe. Females, from grade school onwards are being made to cover up their shoulders and knees in an effort to keep them from distracting little boys and causing chaos in the classroom setting. At such a young age not only does this fuel low self esteem as girls begin to feel uncomfortable with their constantly developing bodies but it also suggests that there is something wrong with them. Without a doubt, I can recall several experiences from both middle and high school where I was disciplined for wearing clothing that accentuated my figure (JEANS) because I was "distracting" the boys with my body; mind you if my outfits received the approval of my devout conservative mother then it should have passed any schools restrictions that might have been in place in my opinion. While other female counterparts were allowed to wear similar clothing pieces a big boned sister such as myself had to endure scoldings from school administration because I wasn't shaped like the majority of the girls or so I was told. Call me crazy but I don't think that females anywhere should be coaxed into dressing themselves with the whims of anyone else in mind. Relatively known figures in the media such as Elle Varner would beg to differ and instead would suggest that younger girls should seek to preserve their innocence while they still can as a world where "feminists and women's empowerment advocates" are forcing their agenda onto them. She also went onto suggest that women that wear lesser clothing are loose and provocative solely on the basis of what their clothing choices communicate. Both ideals are extremely problematic.
This culture persists and will continue to remain in the same state as long as we are allowing it to. Popular culture icons such as Kim Kardashian and former strippers such as Cardi B and Amber Rose are often called out for the overexploitation of their bodies when they've done absolutely nothing wrong to incite the malice that has been brought against them. Some would argue that their professions are indicative of their lack of intelligence and integrity for themselves, but then again I didn't know that your profession coincided so deeply with your character. All three women have departed from the notion that they should be pariahs in lieu of pursuing more fulfilling characters that allow them the flexibility to be themselves and generate income in sometimes unconventional ways. Gender roles/ social media constructs have long since been established and continue to perpetuate the belief that women are only fit to perform domestic tasks as it relates to care taking and being closed mouthed subordinates that yield to the wishes of the male figure in all situations. As women make other business ventures and integrate into industries that were once thought of as unconquerable for them they've made meaningful differences for the future of women for generations to come.
In addition, showing skin is completely out of the question as it is apparently serves as a justification for men to harass you. From catcalling to warranting lack of respect in the workplace a number of men would agree that wearing tight clothing or showing skin sends out a message that you want to be addressed even if it means delivering annoying and sometimes disrespectful greetings like "hey big booty" or the all too familiar drive by where a man follows you in his vehicle while simultaneously trying to initiate conversation with you. I fail to believe that most catcalls have been thought out enough to consider how any human being would respond to it. It's the year 2016 and men would rather pursue obnoxious ways to speak to females via dm's on social networks or in person shouts than evaluate other methods to get their attention. For those who are still wondering, chivalry isn't dead. For the latter of women that choose not to respond to these invitations the next response is usually a derogatory word that the male laces with his anger or rather poorly masked disappointment.
The bottom line is men and women alike need to revaluate their priorities if it is inclusive of trying to dictate what another person should wear or how they should live if it means infringing on that individual's ability to make decisions on how they are comfortable living; and to those that are the bearers of hateful commentary because of how your lifestyle, bask in it! In the words of the musical great Nayvadius Cash, also known as Future, "you do what you want when you're popping."
