What is slut shaming? It is the “action of stigmatizing a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative.” Why do we do it? Well, unfortunately there’s no answer, other than being unsatisfied with what we see within ourselves and then directing our anger towards someone else.
When I was about 12-years-old, I started developing boobs and for most girls at that age, that was very early. When the kids at my school started noticing I was developing into a woman at a young age, they would not only slut shame me to my face, but also online anonymously which was even worse because it felt like the whole world was against me.
For Halloween that year I dressed up as a cat with my best friend, Annie. That day I heard people whispering behind me saying, “Do you see her ass hanging out?” and “She looks like such a slut for wearing that.” I immediately went to the bathroom to examine what was wrong with my outfit. My eyes filled with tears. I carried on with my day and kept a promise to myself that I would never slut shame a girl especially after how I was treated. The problem with our society is that we are so quick to put labels on people and treat them as though they are objects. We forget that we are all human. Everyone has a battle they are fighting that nobody knows about.
So, I wondered, how does a piece of clothing define someone as a slut? How does wearing a short skirt or a tight dress affect the way you are living? How does the way someone physically expresses themselves harm you in any way? Well, it doesn’t and if it’s not hurting you or someone else, it should not be any of your business. Who cares if a girl wants to dress up as a sexy nurse, or a hot teacher for Halloween? Let them feel confident and sexy because at the end of the day we need to build each other up instead of tearing one another down.