The Social Construct of the Slut

Now I really want to address a social topic quite close to home. This social construct of the slut… 

Yes, a rather strange topic which is becoming more and more of a public debate due to the overuse of the label in everyday instances. But when one considers the complexity of what makes someone a slut, of why women are labelled as such and how society receives such a label it becomes a very interesting analysis. So I’m pretty much going to break it down in my interpretation. 

What makes a slut has evolved over the decades as sex becomes more of an outspoken activity. Sex is no longer a taboo and young people are exposed to the inner workings from a younger and younger age. However, for a young woman having sex seems to be wrong, she must be aware of it, understand how it works…but under no circumstances have sex and talk about it. Of course this is somewhat of a paradox; how can a young woman understand something she is forbidden by society to take part in? 

Once of course a woman does begin having sex casually there are certain factors which contribute to the label she receives. If she is not in a relationship for example she is too easy with her virtue; if she knows what she enjoys and how she wants to have sexual relations then she is deemed as someone who has slept around too much and is once again easy. Easy, unchallenging, cheap… a slut. 

That is what makes a slut, a woman who happily has sex with whomever she wants, whenever she wants. But society doesn't realise she wants to do these things, she is the one with complete agency. Of course it is the men she interacts with who control the situation. Therefore she is a slut, easily taken advantage of. 

As much as the label is becoming more of a comical insult with little meaning left it is still a prevalent issue that a woman who is promiscuous, sexual active and confident is labelled with a derogatory tag. Society still allows the meaning of this label to be perpetrated in mainstream media for the next generation to adopt as their own insult. Slut will never wholly move away from the negative connotations it has been injected with. 

From personal experience I can wholly say that I have never done something unless it has been my premeditated decision, and I will never allow another person or group to label me as a slut for the way I hold myself, the actions I take. Slut is a social construction perpetrated by the hegemonic society to demean the actions a woman takes as something she has no control over. This hegemonic society forces a woman to believe that she cannot be loved, accepted if she acts a certain way; thus she moulds herself in an image which constricts her desires and suits the men society tells her to please. This hegemony also confuses the simple sexual drive almost every human feels. Why should something which almost every living species feel become a prohibited act, why should it be a contributing factor to a master label which effectively means nothing when one understands that sexual drive is a similar chemical compositional need to our desire to eat. 

PHOTO DISCLAIMER: Does not belong to me. All credit to Andy Doig, 2013.