Comment 64398

By highwater (registered) | Posted June 01, 2011 at 14:12:18 in reply to Comment 64391

what does "dress like a slut" even mean?

Borrelli, your entire comment was great, but this question really gets to the heart of the whole 'Slutwalk' idea, IMO.

I have no problem with the use of the term 'slut' in this context, or any other context for that matter. Unlike epithets like 'queer' or 'nigger' that have been reclaimed by marginalized groups in order to disable their use as weapons, it seems to me that the idea here isn't so much to take away the power of the word 'slut' by reclaiming it, but rather to reveal it for the utterly meaningless word that it already is.

Unlike 'queer' and 'nigger' which are ugly but narrow identifiers, the term 'slut' is completely relative, and is used against women for the explicit purpose of keeping them confused and disempowered. "Does this dress make me look slutty?" "Are these jeans and turtle neck slutty if they cling even though I'm completely covered from ankle to chin?" "Is this red satin dress slutty, but the same dress in white cotton ok?" Women are forced to make these unconscious mental calculations every time we walk out the door, because we know we will be judged harshly if something happens, something that men never have to contemplate.

If the widespread, ironic, and repetitious use of the word 'slut' continues to highlight its emptiness, and reveal it's users as the mean-minded fools that they are, then I'm good with that.

Slut, slutty, sluttish, sluttishness, slutastic, slutocious, sluttapalooza, sluttely slut slut slut....

Comment edited by highwater on 2011-06-01 14:13:52

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds