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Slut-shaming is the act of condemning a person for behavior that they deem outside the realm of decent or moral.
The victim's behavior may be fully sexual in nature, as in criticizing their promiscuity; it may only have sexual undertones, such as critiquing a person's attire for being provocative; and it may involve blaming the victim of a sex crime. While anyone can be slut-shamed, it most commonly happens to female-presenting people and gay men.
While the exact term slut-shaming has only been in use since the early 2000s, the concept is an old one. In ancient Roman times, women were criticized for their virtue and appearance. Cicero said in 56BC that women were to be considered "prostitutes" if they were unmarried and wore provocative clothing or attracted the attention of men.
Slut-shaming didn't enter the dictionary until 2018, and the dictionary notes that slut-shaming typically involves double standards, in which a woman is put down for behavior that a man would be celebrated for. It is a form of bullying.
The term gained popularity thanks to "SlutWalk," a protest walk that began in 2011 after a male police officer told female students that they could prevent being raped by not dressing "like sluts." Model and actor Amber Rose helped the protest become even more popular in 2015 when she spoke out at a Los Angeles SlutWalk about how she had been publicly shamed for being a sex worker.
Slut-shaming has been in the news regularly for years because of the double standards around grade and high school attire for students. Adolescent girls and their parents have fought against the shaming of essential clothing like tank tops and shorts, which often boys are allowed to wear in school, but not girls.
The word "slut" has been around since the 1400s, but it was initially used to describe a slovenly or poor woman. It wasn't until the 1960s that the word came to reference "a woman who enjoys sex in a degree considered shamefully excessive."
In current times, the word slut is used as a pejorative, or insult. If someone is thought to be dressing in a manner that isn't demure enough, if they are too free with their sexuality, if they're the "other" person in a situation of adultery, if they have or have had multiple sexual partners, or even if they wear a lot of makeup, they may be called a slut.
What exactly is responsible for our shaming of anyone we decide isn't acting or looking moral enough for our tastes? And why don't we slut-shame straight men?
From our acceptance of "the male gaze," which is the sexualizing of women by men, to the prevalence of misogyny and sexism, our society has long treated the sexes differently, and cis-men have had more systemic control. When women, trans people, and gender-expansive people fight for equality and equity, pushback occurs. Slut-shaming is one form of pushback. And it isn't only men who slut-shame: women may also judge other women for their attire or behavior.
Men who have numerous sexual partners are lauded by their peers and given innocuous titles, such as "players." They are not slut-shamed for their behavior because society still errs in their favor, and men continue to comprise the great majority of our government, and often have final say in regard to laws that affect the bodies of women and gender-expansive people.
You may be wondering if slut-shaming is actually all that harmful to those it happens to. After all, it's natural to judge one another, and we have to have morals in our culture or everything would be chaos. The truth, however, is that slut-shaming is deeply harmful.
Slut-shaming is damaging to one's mental health, and this is especially true for teenage girls. One study notes that "slut shaming predicts health problems. and predicts depressive affect and suicidal thoughts" in adolescents.
It's important to note that the study considered slut-shaming an act of violence, which may not be obvious to us since it does not involve a physical assault. Yet not all forms of violence are physical, and the act of bullying another person is indeed violent, even if it doesn't feel that way when one does it.
Among young adults, the impact of slut-shaming is also very damaging. Having more sex partners leads women to be judged for their choices. One study notes that "higher numbers of lifetime casual sex partners predicted. more relational aggression experiences and sexual behavior-based prejudice."
Interestingly, despite the effects of slut-shaming, the act of having had more partners leads to "less loneliness, greater likelihood of having a best friend, and higher numbers of close friends, acquaintances, and relatives," which shows that the chastised behavior could easily be considered perfectly healthy ones.
Slutwalk is just one example of women reclaiming the word slut, and fighting back against slut-shaming. The reclamation of other identity terms, such as "dyke" and "fag" have historically led marginalized groups to feel more empowered through their own usage of the words. Of course, if you are not of a marginalized identity, it remains unacceptable to call someone one of those words.
Having more than one sexual partner or dressing in "provocative" clothing is becoming more mainstream, which serves to help normalize these things. Countless couples now describe themselves as non-monogamous, meaning they are partnered but engage sexually and/or emotionally with people outside of their primary relationship. And women of all sizes now often wear whatever they care to, without asking for permission or forgiveness for their choices.
Additionally, our culture is changing around the bullying behaviors we tolerate. Whether in the workplace or at school, bullying is less tolerated, and progressively more rules and mandates are put in place against sexual harassment.
Slut-shaming is a form of bullying, and you have the right to protection against it. If you experience slut-shaming in school or at work, talk to your teachers or superiors. Should the situation not be resolved to your satisfaction, you have every right to escalate the issue to those with higher authority.
No one deserves to be bullied, no matter what they wear or with whom they engage sexually.
If you are a victim of slut-shaming or sexual assault, you can contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member at a local RAINN affiliate.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
By Ariane Resnick, CNC
Ariane Resnick, CNC is a mental health writer, certified nutritionist, and wellness author who advocates for accessibility and inclusivity.
