Is our silence endorsing slut shaming normalization?

No matter what women do, what path they choose, in what ways they present themselves, who they hang out with, and how they  decide to carry on in life, tales to stigmatise their behaviours and existence are bound to crop up.

Our society is still ruminating on women’s perceived inability to form their independent identities, standalone choices, and decisions for themselves. These ideals are reflected on the ideologies about women, rules made for women standing on those ideologies, slurs used for women, violence, discriminations against them, reservations held against their rights, disrespect to their interests and unrecognition of an equal space for them and their opinions. 

Why are we on a constant hunt for women’s dignity? Where is all our education lagging behind in teaching us the bounds we are not supposed to cross? What value is this advancement in civilization if we are still struggling to keep our community of women safe?  

Slut-shaming Culture

The origin of the word ‘slut’ dates back to the 15th century. However, its connotation as a sexually outgoing and promiscous relationships-keeping girl started during 20th century. And even if this slight may extend to boys in some cases, its primary target have always been the females. 

Any woman is labelled a ‘slut’ if she tends to show the so-called unconventional sexual gestures. This includes the way they dress, the sexual desires they develop and how they make those visible.

The most ordinary of our behaviours are hinting towards our tendency to put down girls on the basis of their sexuality and sexual orientation. These behaviours include:

• Asking rates to the girls with comparatively more revealing dresses than usual.
• Downgrading the sexual practices women try to explore or making jokes about them.
• Generalising the sexual practices of boys and viewing the same behaviours in girls differently.
• Thinking that the girls choose their outfits carefully and keep themselves groomed just for the guys.
• Making opinions about someone’s character based on the way they dress and their sexual exhibitions.
• Starting sexual rumours about individuals and spreading them.
• Choosing to not advocate against any orthodoxical opinion that ridicules girls in a group of friends, family or colleagues and letting them pass.

We may be declaring our support to slutshaming culture without even realising it. This is because the view about women being below men is ingrained in our brains to an extent that even years of education cannot undo it that easily. Slutshaming is not about calling out the wrongs and awaring people in our society, neither is it about disciplining women as far as the literal meaning of the term ‘discipline’ goes. Slutshaming is just another form of suppressing women, just another way of showing how women do not deserve a space in a level as equal as men do.

The real life scenarios have caused a mass violation of women’s rights. Now, this violation has spread to the virtual world created by digitization. The ease in access to gadgets and internet maintaining anonymity has fueled the fire of shaming not only women but also men and other sexual minorities. Cyberspace has become an expanse to give out unsolicited opinions and malign identities.

Consequences and Criminalization

If we are wondering why slutshaming is so bad, we should better look at the stats born as its consequences. The girls, especially teens who are subjected to the sultshaming victimisation, internalise guilt and shame in them. They cultivate insecurity, anger, low self-esteem, isolating propensity and suicidal attempts. The outcome takes worse forms when the domino effect stretches it to sexual abuse and physical sexual violence.

Slutshaming is a crime against the right to live with dignity and the right to liberty duly guaranteed by our Constitution. Defamation is a criminalised act according to Section 306 of the Country Civil Code Act 2074.

The provisions regarding bullying in our national and international laws can be read about in our blogs:

• https://lawcater.net/what-does-the-law-say-about-bullies/
• https://lawcater.net/where-can-the-issue-of-mental-health-be-found-in-our-laws/
• https://lawcater.net/does-harassment-start-only-after-a-touch/

Conclusion

Is a woman so weak that she cannot stand for herself? Is a woman so ignorant to not know about her circumstances? Is a woman so careless that she needs to be mansplained for her every action? Is a woman bereft of conscience that she cannot have desires and form choices?

If we are not nodding, are we speaking up against this culture? Or have we been inclined to let this atrocity pass because that is what we are known for? We are known for maintaining a stance of apathy wherever speaking up against any normalised injustice is uncomfortable to us or whenever doing so comes at the cost of people not liking us or we not fitting in with the clan.

It is high time we see that remaining silent on matters of injustice to women is not saving us any costs. Instead, this inaction is depositing on the accrued misdemeanors against ourselves.