I was thinking of posting yesterday but, something came up at the last moment which made me quite busy. So, any way Happy Woman’s Day to you all. let us all celebrate our womanhood and not judge others on how they choose to showcase it. So, today I address slut shaming, an issue that is quite close to my heart.
When I was younger, I went to a mall with a few of my friends and one of them clicked the photo of a girl in a short skirt. She was standing in the counter of a restaurant and one of the boys clicked her picture. the picture remained a focal point of discussion that day and we talked through the conversation about how short the skirt was. I could not even begin tom imagine why someone would buy such a skirt much less wear it. The weather then was quite unfavorable for it too, as I remember is was a frosty December eve when the picture was clicked.
Now, that I look back it seems like one of those things that I will regret forever. I am changed now and much more enlightened about the society but, back then all that mattered was the fact that she looked different. That she did not conform to the standards of dressing that everyone around us was much happy to oblige to. Now, when I go out, the number of such girls has increased, and even my male friends have ceased to comment on the shortness of a skirt when someone passes them on the road. Yet, slut shaming is still a glaring problem in our society.
Slut-shaming refers to the idea of shaming a woman for dressing or acting in a certain way that the society thinks is perverse. It can be something as simple as wearing a short skirt to something like twerking. Apparently women are supposed to follow a certain set of rules handed down from ancestors so that they do not appear perverse. however, if she does follow a bit too many of those rules the same woman is subjected to insults for being a “prude”.
It starts at a young age when everyone is told about the rules of dressing. My cousin even went as far as to argue that men had the right to ogle and cat call at girls if they wore a certain kind of clothing. One of my friends used to decide who was a virgin and who was not by the lengths of their tops and skirts. These are everyday issues that we face at every moment but, we are scared to speak out. Simple because this is something about which our debates are more likely to bring us the same label that the victims have; “SLUT”.
Many a reason is given for slut shaming, some even go as far as to say that we feminists are so outraged about the issue because mostly they are right. They have the right to judge people on the basis of the clothes they wear and go forward to say that the woman is probably “asking for it”.
It is not that slut shaming makes women worthless, that words hurt to the point that it makes women question themselves and they are bullied into a corner that forces them to stop expressing themselves with their clothes. Bullying is not the only reason slut shaming is bad. it is bad because even today a woman being labelled as a “slut” would probably get more severely judged by the society for getting raped. It is harmful because it propagates and encourages victim blaming. It promotes rape culture.
I seriously do not want to be labelled as one of those feminists who cannot end a post without screaming “Rape” but, am I so wrong in saying that it is important to view the issue in this light? It is very easy to wear our big glasses and say that a woman is wrong for being a certain way because we cannot possibly imagine someone wearing a certain piece of clothing. it is very easy I admit. However, it is wrong.
So, fight slut shaming and stand up for your writes. it is your body and you deserve the right to cover it the way you wish to..
An angry indian chick 