TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
The word 'slut', then and now
With slut shaming on the loose, it is disappointingly common to hear someone being called a slut or being called one yourself. In this day and age, studies have shown that women judge other women far more harshly than men for having numerous sexual partners.
Change Size
It is disappointingly common to hear someone being called a slut or being called one yourself. (Shutterstock/*)
I
f you haven’t showered in a while, have unwashed laundry, didn’t bother shaving today, or have noticeable dust on any of your surfaces – then you, my friend, are a slut. In the historical sense of the word, at least.
With slut shaming on the loose, it is disappointingly common to hear someone being called a slut or being called one yourself. In this day and age, studies have shown that women judge other women far more harshly than men for having numerous sexual partners. The Urban dictionary defines ‘slut’ as both “a sexually promiscuous person, usually female, who engages in sexual activity with a large number of persons, occasionally simultaneously” and “a woman with the morals of a man”. The derogatory term has been deemed to encompass the double standards between women and men. A man that engages in “excessive” sexual encounters is considered a “stud” (a term with positive connotations), whereas women are immediately seen as “sluts.” What you may find surprising, though, is that men were historically the first sluts.
(Read also: Here's what to read in your feminist book club)
If we look at its etymological roots, we see the first usage of the word in the late 1300s in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Interestingly, the roots of “slut” had absolutely nothing to do with a person’s sexual appetite. It was used to describe a man who had an untidy appearance, such as in this quote: "Why is thy lord so sluttish, I thee pray, And is of power better clothes to bey."
By the time the 15th century came along, the term was centered more on women. Housemaids and lower-income women were called “sluts” if they weren’t particularly spick and span with their housework. Fun fact: the phrase “slut’s hole” is old-age slang for trashcans, and “slut’s wool” applied to chunks of dust. In this era, the racist and classist aspects of the expression can be seen as word was used particularly to spite white women, as its users assumed that black women were “already” sluts. Also, what other life purpose would lower-income women have other than making sure their houses were practically sterile, am I right?
As women began moving out of the household scene and into the labor force, finding autonomy became strongly correlated with being called a slut, probably because women didn’t have all the time in the world to wipe down every surface of their homes. Teaching, library keeping and public relations and secretarial positions became popular jobs that women took from men from as early on as World War I. Thus, we see a spike of the usage of the insult “slut” around the 1920s as women were given the right to vote, and the 1980s when there was a massive influx of women into the workforce. Take a wild guess at another word that peaked at those times. Guess what? It’s “bitch.”
(Read also: Why verbal harassment is more menacing than physical bullying)
This brings us to today’s double standard: the infamous 77 cents to a dollar argument and the obviousness of men’s position in society being threatened by equally competent women. Ironically, however, instead of repeatedly hearing about how men slut-shame women, we find that it’s more frequent to witness women slut-shaming each other. Research has shown that women between the ages of 18 and 22 use the expression to humiliate other women in order to secure their social status.
Another facet of slut-shaming we don’t hear too often is in the medical world. There have been countless stories from women online about how their gynecologists have intentionally given them painful exams, refused to provide them with birth control, or even made hurtful assumptions about their lives (i.e. “your boyfriend is probably cheating on you”) upon finding out that they have had sexual intercourse without being married.
The question is, why did “slut” become a word to put down sexually active women from its origins as a word to describe untidy men? And as for the definition of “slut” as “a woman with the morals of a man,” why must there be a different moral standards for men and women? I think it’s important to remember that every time you find yourself calling someone a slut – man or woman – you’re reversing some of humanity’s largest strides in bringing forth equality and autonomy.
***
Jaanam Jaswani is a 17 year-old blogger and occasional poet. Impulsive and controversial, she has an insatiable curiosity when it comes to literature, performance arts, philosophy, and food. She can be found on biryanibabe.blogspot.co.id, @exist_sensual on Instagram, or @inbreadwecrust on Twitter.
---------------
Interested to write for thejakartapost.com? We are looking for information and opinions from experts in a variety of fields or others with appropriate writing skills. The content must be original on the following topics: lifestyle ( beauty, fashion, food ), entertainment, science & technology, health, parenting, social media, and sports. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com.
