LET’S TALK ABOUT SLUT SHAMING
Slut shaming has become a vice that has come to stay in our society. It
has eaten deeply into our system, that the result is sickening and totally
preposterous. Few weeks back, a Nigerian
actress posted a picture of hers on social media, and the backlash she got from
people was really demeaning. Some even went as far as calling her a prostitute
all because of a picture she posted just to share with her fans.
According to wikipaedia ,Slut shaming is the practice of Criticizing
women and girls who are perceived to violate expectations of behaviour and
appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. From the definition, it is
clearly evident that slut shaming is sexist.
The society has encouraged this for so long, so it is gradually becoming
an accepted norm. A woman has to strive
so desperately to live up to a certain standard, because once she falls short
of this;she is labelled as something so denigrative.
The mere thought that a woman should act and dress a certain way is
really stifling. A woman should be able to express herself in whatever way she
feels appropriate, without getting
chastised for it. An opinionated woman at times can be referred to as a slut, it
isn't just based on a woman's dressing alone.
I'm talking about when a lady
gets into an argument with a bus conductor over her transport fare, the next
word he would readily dish out is something we all know. Why is this so? . Now,
what exactly is responsible for this vice, that has made it proliferate?
As a result of this, some women have turned pretense into an art form,
though there are some who would speak their minds and damn the consequences.
Some women would rather die than truthfully admitting their body counts. They
can't readily express their sexual
fantasy without getting a label, but a guy does the same thing and gets praised
for it, because he's a man. The mere idea that a woman is seen as something
fragile and should always act like an angelic being is laughable, once
she acts otherwise she is readily labelled and in some cases in African
referred to as being possessed.
There are so many successful women out there who still get slut shamed,
it isn't just limited to young girls. It is really saddening that there are
still so many myopic minds out there that can't grasp how a woman can be
successful without being linked to a man. They will always talk about how she
slept her way through to the top, this is really wrong.Though, there are some
women who uses their sexuality to gain favours from men, that's bottom power,
and is another vice entirely different.
But there are still so many women out there who have to work twice hard
just to make a statement and should be respected, but at the end of the day
still get been labelled as women of easy virtue.
An incident occurred sometimes back ,where a female student went to see
her project supervisor. When she got to the office of her lecturer, she was
ordered out of the office because she was wearing makeup and was asked to
return when there was no trace of makeup on her face. The lecturer in question
is a woman, yes a woman who believes for her fellow woman to be taken
seriously, she had to dress a certain way, bereft of any makeup because that
automatically makes her smarter.
This slut shaming attitude isn't
exclusive to some guys only, some women also partake in this. Women are
supposed to have each other's back and together all condemn this despicable act
right? But at the end of the day, it is actually surprising that some women
pass degrading comment to another woman
like themselves, just to hurt them.
Where is that girl power again? And we keep blaming the male gender
for this misfortune? Both genders have contributed immensely to this vice, and
it's high time we start getting open minded.
Slut shaming is more than just criticizing a woman based on her dressing
as stated earlier, it is clearly dehumanizing another gender. It is an extended
reflection of the misogynistic view that has always been in existence. The
consequences of slut shaming is very destructive , from battling low self
esteem, to depression and sometimes leading to suicidal thoughts. It's high
time we put a stop to this act , reorientate our mind set and start respecting a
woman in all of her feminine form.
9 comments
Thank you for educating us the more with this piece. I must confess, it is insightful. More to it, this is just a replica of your stand for social justice.
ReplyDeleteThank you Seun.
DeleteThe world needs 2 knw this...
DeleteMore blessings dear.
Thank you Stanley.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stanley.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, If I was asked to speak on this topic, I wouldn't have put it in a better way than this. If we look deeply into our society, we will find out that women are the biggest supporters of patriarchy and misogyny. They will be the first ones to tell a woman who doesn't dress in certain way or a woman who speaks her mind that she would not find a husband if she continues to be outspoken.
ReplyDeleteThere's even a popular saying that a man who finds a wife at the club has not found a good woman. In other words, going clubbing is acceptable for men but not for women.
And when it comes to the issue of body count, I don't think a woman owes any man or any person that bit of information because if a man's body count does not matter, a woman body count should not matter either. But, our society thinks otherwise. We are the future society and it is time to start making a difference.
Lovely post Bami.
www.aminatawastories.com
Thank you Aminatawa.
DeleteInteresting piece
ReplyDeleteI love this!
ReplyDelete