One of the many things I feel I’ve learned vastly more about in college is the extent of how messed up society can be. You can be a genuinely good person at your base, but if you say something that others don’t agree with or do something that part of society doesn’t accept, then you may find that your good qualities aren’t greater than society’s perception of your words or actions.
Slut shaming has come into light as a massive societal issue in the past few years. Typically, it revolves around making people feel like less than they are because of decisions they make that go against what society expects of them, mostly in terms of raw physicality, whether it is how they dress or who they do.
Since it applies to society’s view of traditional women’s values, slut shaming has permeated a lot of our society. But it also happens here at Binghamton University.
Think about the Downtown scene. I know I’m guilty of wondering why people wear short dresses and T-shirts without a jacket, thinking that it’s a crazy idea. As of late, I’ve viewed it as more of a logical issue. When I was younger, I definitely thought it was a matter of morals, but that isn’t the case.
How you dress or who you sleep with shouldn’t be a big deal to anyone but you. Of course, just like in the previous example, there are smart ways to go about these sorts of things and less intelligent ways; make sure you practice safe sex, don’t catch a cold from what you wear and all that kind of stuff.
Luckily, we as a society are generally moving in the right direction in terms of gender equality. Does that make slut shaming or gender inequality less of an issue? Certainly not. It’s something that we all have to collectively try to improve in the future.
As society’s views shift, however, there is also a negative perception regarding the opposite side of slut shaming. If you’re too reserved, people may find it strange or think that you have insecurities. Why do you think all of those Amish-to-city transition shows took off?
We see it more with women than with men that if you perpetrate traditional ideals, even if you’re just being true to yourself, parts of society could view you as being a hindrance to attaining gender equality.
One of the more alarming points, in my opinion, is that this is also a hindrance to some women professionally. Women who typically dress covered up or dress in a way that society prescribes masculine can at times feel pressure to change that image in order to get jobs. As I looked up various instances of this, I found people asking how they could either “fem” up their look or stay butch and still get the job.
The fact that people need to ask that is a huge issue. We as a society shouldn’t care about someone’s style. Sure, you need to look professional to land a job, but if a woman comes in for an interview dressed in a suit and tie as opposed to a flowy dress or blouse, that shouldn’t affect how qualified she is to get the job. The sad reality is that sometimes it does.
If you choose to stay chaste, if you don’t flaunt your body through your clothing and style choices, a lot of people categorize you. The same goes for the opposite regarding slut shaming.
As our society attempts to broaden its views and what it accepts, the views that are actually expressed show a lot of narrow-mindedness on both sides of the spectrum. Will that change in the near future? Maybe, maybe not. For now, the best thing we can do is gain the confidence in ourselves and our choices so that we can block out the negativity reflected in our society.