How To Feel Liberated By Reclaiming The Slut Shaming Slang Words

How To Feel Liberated By Reclaiming The Slut Shaming Slang Words

A slut's life is hers to live and can't be compared or judged. She is a woman who is free in her deportment. Redefine and bring forth the inner slut in you.

feminisminindia.com

A few days after I became active on my Twitter page with feminism as my political stance, the first troll found its way to me, labelling me as a ‘vaishya’(slut). I had known this, seen it highlighted by many before, and expected to see it coming. Apparently this word is used a lot online; according to an article on the Time, women on Twitter are called slut or whore10,000 times a day- not only by men, but by holier-than-thou women as well.

Who is a slut?
If one consults the Cambridge dictionary, or the Urban Dictionary: all definitions seem to point towards women who are free about their sexuality and preferences, bold in their presentation of self and have full autonomy over their bodies and choices. But the digital world of disparages have additional definitions of who they presume to define as a ‘slut’- A woman speaking for her rights; or one who speaks against injustice or even against CAA, NPR, NRC; a woman who is politically active; a woman who voices her desires or helps others in doing the same: that woman is chosen to be titled as a slut.

THE DIGITAL WORLD OF DISPARAGES HAVE ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS OF WHO THEY PRESUME TO DEFINE AS A ‘SLUT’- A WOMAN SPEAKING FOR HER RIGHTS; OR ONE WHO SPEAKS AGAINST INJUSTICE OR EVEN AGAINST CAA, NPR, NRC; A WOMAN WHO IS POLITICALLY ACTIVE; A WOMAN WHO VOICES HER DESIRES OR HELPS OTHERS IN DOING THE SAME: THAT WOMAN IS CHOSEN TO BE TITLED AS A SLUT.

If there’s a woman with free will and she selects partners or even a partner, she’s a whore. If she’s surviving any onslaught and is self-affirming, she’s a Randi. If she thinks, we can do better than this government, she’s a slut.

Is Slut Really A Bad Word Then?
Or is it that misogynists use it as a tool of disparagement and hatred, when people (read powerful women) or situation, according to them, are getting out of their hands?

Slut, in its original meaning, is an archaic thought used to vulgarise women, to make them feel bad about their bodies, desires and choices they make. So if Miley Cyrus twerks, it’s called slutty behaviour; if Swara Bhaskar does an art performance on masturbation in her film, she’s trolled; if Michelle Williams makes a choice for her body, she’s bad; if Deepika Padukone stands in solidarity with JNU, she’s anti-national: All recapitulated with that one word: ‘slut’.

Also read: Tryst With Kink: Brushstrokes Of BDSM On My Sexuality

A redefinition is taking place though, that a slut is simply a woman who is unapologetically, radically practicing what she loves. The patriarchal intention of the word must be dissolved to release the hurt it perpetuates.

IT’S A DEFENCE MECHANISM OF THE SILLIEST KIND USED BY MASKED TROLLS AND ACERBIC PEOPLE, AND IF WE THINK SLUT IS A GAALI/SLANG, THEN WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN A MISOGYNISTIC NARRATIVE. A SLUT’S LIFE IS HERS TO LIVE, IT CANNOT BE COMPARED, JUDGED OR DISPARAGED- SLUT IS A WOMAN WHO IS FREE IN HER DEPORTMENT. SO, REVISIT, REDEFINE AND BRING FORTH THE INNER SLUT IN YOU.

If seen only from the male gaze, it’s a sexual term, but is sex such a bad thing if it’s not confined to your bedroom?

We know that sex is as old as creation, it’s life affirming, it’s pleasure oriented, and a powerful driving force. Desire creates, and in India it has been acknowledged since ancient times. Left handed Tantra (vaamachara) incorporates the practice of sex as a means of liberating the body and mind. Sexual desire was not maligned or demeaned in India, it was celebrated in the Kamasutra which were made available to be practiced by all genders, for sexual fulfillment. Similarly, the divine feminine/sacred feminine practices recognised an all encompassing vision of women as multidimensional beings. Goddesses were not perfect, but flawed and flourishing with unique traits, especially ones highlighted by the Indian Tantric traditions like, Matangi and Chinnamasta: who were the opposite of what the predominant narrative for Goddesses/perfect women was and is, even now

Feminist revisionist writers like Suniti Namjoshi, P Lalitha Kumari, Meena Kandsamy and a few others have taken this popular male narrative and have acceded to a deconstruction through reconstruction formula, by revising patriarchal tropes of perfect women and using it for perverse liberation narratives with transgressive female characters. Poet and activist Meena Kandsamy, for instance, writes this in her poetry collection, Ms Millitancy addressing the self-righteous-

“To the Moral Police
This woman she is a slut. And that girl over there, she is the glutton.
And I am a bitch with tattoos on my lusty thighs.
This dark lady has storm in her speech.
…
Sure as sluts, we strip random men.
And, yes my dears, we are all friends.”
(Backstreet girls)

Research Scholar Gloria Alpini, in her paper titled, “From Female Archetypes to Female Stereotypes. Myth and Fantasy: Alienating Modes of Representation. An Interdisciplinary and Comparative Approach to ” le fantastique féminin” talks about the metamorphosis of women in the fantasy genre from perfection to perversion, which leads to a liberation from predominant narratives using the tools of language and representation. Through the use of this ‘perversion’ of the male-centric envisioning of a woman, from Madonna or Whore, to both and many more, revisionist scholars in academia; writers in publishing; and women like us online, are writing and creating extensively on accepting our multidimensional selves; through pages like Hatecopy, Ladyist, Art Whoringetc. on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Also read: Slut Shaming and The Friend Zone: Two Sides of The Objectification Coin

Today, if we are called a slut/Whore/Randi/Hooker/Hoe/Harlot/Vaishya-know that the meaning and expressions associated with the word have been assigned by those mired in hateful lives. It’s a defence mechanism of the silliest kind used by masked trolls and acerbic people, and if we think slut is a gaali/slang, then we are participating in a misogynistic narrative. A slut’s life is hers to live, it cannot be compared, judged or disparaged- slut is a woman who is free in her deportment. So, revisit, redefine and bring forth the inner slut in you.

She/Her. Bachpan se feminist-stoked by literature and events. Now a Freelancer by Kali’s steps; contributing to a few review, research and opinion websites in India and UK. When free, Ishika works on her path for women empowerment and exploration of the aesthetics of desire and sexuality. You can find her on Instagram, Twitter and on her own Blog.

 

[Duke Nukem]

Shut the hell up, you herpes ridden cum dumpster roastie slut.

Seriously, it's articles like this that will make me believe that the incels may be right, after all.

 

[inexplicable ethos]

"The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender Modes."

Now that's a deep-cut reference.

 

[babaGAReeb]

not only do indians shit on the street they shit on the internet too

 

[Otterly]

Gah. This stuff doesn’t help women who are facing genuine horror in India. It doesn’t help women treated like property, it doesn’t help women facing honour killings, or being doused in kerosene by the in laws for some minor infraction, and it doesn’t help the epidemic rates of rape of women and girls.
All it does it make her look like a trivial idiot. Which actively harms the cause of actually trying to help women and girls.
Look, don’t go down the path western feminism has taken, with it pole dancing is empowering bullshit. If pole dancing was empowering men would be doing it. Focus on the real issues - which is women and girls being treated absolutely fucking horrendously. And have some dignity while you’re doing it or nobody will bloody listen to you.

 

[Affluent Reptilian]

I remembre reading a study - as I look it up a 2018 one by Naomi K Muggleton, Sarah R Tarran and Corey L Fincher, 'Who punishes promiscuous women?' - that found that while both sexes dislike overt displays of sexuality by women, it's women who inflict punishments. The abstract:

Across human societies, female sexuality is suppressed by gendered double standards, slut
shaming, sexist rape laws, and honour killings. The question of what motivates societies to punish
promiscuous women, however, has been contested. Although some have argued that men suppress
female sexuality to increase paternity certainty, others maintain that this is an example of
intrasexual competition. Here we show that both sexes are averse to overt displays of female
sexuality, but that motivation is sex-specific. In all studies, participants played an economic game
with a female partner whose photograph either signalled that she was sexually-accessible or
sexually-restricted. In study 1, we found that men and women are less altruistic in a Dictator Game
(DG) when partnered with a woman signalling sexual-accessibility. Both sexes were less trusting
of sexually-accessible women in a Trust Game (TG) (study 2); women (but not men), however,
inflicted costly punishment on a sexually-accessible woman in an Ultimatum Game (UG) (study
3). Our results demonstrate that both sexes are averse to overt sexuality in women, whilst
highlighting potential differences in motivation.

In evolutionary terms, women have an interest in making sure other women aren't making themselves sexually available to a great extent because it increases the odds of the man who provides resources for the first woman's offspring from having offspring with those other women and thus splitting resources (or possibly abandoning the first woman altogether). (Evolutionary psych hypotheses can sometimes be reaching but I think this one is very plausible.) Or from deciding he likes rooting the other woman more because she's a better model.

There are also studies finding that promiscuity outside of relationships predicts infidelity in-relationships, so viewing it unfavourably makes sense if we take infidelity to be a bad mark on someone's character.

I also have a suspicion (though haven't read studies) that promiscuity correlates heavily with mental instability and risk-taking behaviour, which would be another reason to view the promiscuous unfavourably.

I suspect the correlations are there for men, too, and I don't really care for male promiscuity in general, although the dynamics are going to be a bit different and I imagine the negative correlations are a bit muted.

By which I mean, stupid slut; fucking bitch needs to be put on a leash.

 

[Happy Fish]

"You're a worthless slut, and that is a good thing."

 

[Eto]

I’m always baffled by articles and complaints like this. It’s an insult meant to cause humiliation. People are naturally judgmental and can be assholes. It’s up to you to be able to find comfort in yourself and to ignore the insults hurled at you when they’re unwarranted.

With that said, if you sleep with a lot of people, you’re a slut by the basic definition of the word. Words only have power when you give it power.

 

[Safir]

This is why teenage girls troon out.

 

[Dan Abrams]

OK, so we've established that she's a slut... Is she also an uggo?

Yes.

Shouldn't Feminism in India .com focus on stuff like not being raped to death?

Being gang raped to death, getting dysentery, the classic shitting in streets - all issues that India has that are more important than your right to fuck 5 different guys a week and not be told that you're gross.

 

[vertexwindi]

I remembre reading a study - as I look it up a 2018 one by Naomi K Muggleton, Sarah R Tarran and Corey L Fincher, 'Who punishes promiscuous women?' - that found that while both sexes dislike overt displays of sexuality by women, it's women who inflict punishments.

Oh yeah, women will absolutely rag on each other for the smallest shit. Lol women.

Honestly at this point who really gives a fuck about how many guys you do the snatch smash with, it's not the 50s. I don't see the appeal of shallow one-night-stands myself, but then again I don't see the appeal of black licorice either but lots of people like that shit anyway.

 

[Petronella]

Oh Lord, I didn't even notice at first that this was in India, that's even worse.
Googling for like five seconds turned up that, in just one year, 2 million women and girls were sex trafficked in India, 40% of that being children. But sure, tell me more about how mean words are the feminist crisis.

 

[L50LasPak]

Eh, to be honest in Indian culture they care a lot more about the exact meaning of words. So just saying something to someone is actually still a big deal over there. This article is less woke and more just Indian Hoes Mad.

In retrospect, its a little bit worriying that we're beginning to end up like that ourselves as a society.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

Next people who don't care to see the next Charlie's Angel's film should reclaim slurs like "incel" and "misogynerd".

 

[ElAbominacion]

Oh Lord, I didn't even notice at first that this was in India, that's even worse.
Googling for like five seconds turned up that, in just one year, 2 million women and girls were sex trafficked in India, 40% of that being children. But sure, tell me more about how mean words are the feminist crisis.

She's probably upper crust rich in India. She thinks she can afford to dictate to people what's important to hash out.

But she's just a filthy cumdupster of a whore.

 

[DumbDude42]

Real talk, with advances in image editing technology, the ability to make convincing Deep Fakes of anyone as a way to quickly and easily slander your opponents makes the destigmatization of promiscuity only a matter of time. People will need to be more relaxed about sluts because the alternative is making it trivial to casually destroy the reputations of anyone who crosses someone with access to a PC and some pictures of your face.
This chick, though, seems like she thinks the crystals she has that were blessed by the Moon Goddess keep her cooch free of STDs, so fuck her (but not in the way she wants).

nonsense tbh
photoshopping someones face on a porn screenshot or making deepfake videos of them aren't any more or less effective than simple old style gossip and rumors.
women calling each other sluts has been around for millennia. photographic evidence was never necessary for it, so the ability to fake such evidence doesn't change the game either.

 

[Spooky Bones]

The whole thing is funnier read in an Indian accent, nay?