Ho, Skank, Loose, Temptress, Harlot, Whore, Libertine, Tramp, Nymphomaniac, Bimbo, Strumpet, Scarlet Woman, and Lady of the Evening...

... along with many MANY different synonyms I found for the word "Slut."

My eyes breezed over an article in the PI today, and the first thing I noticed was the picture, featuring a lip balm labeled "Slut lip balm," the flavoring being "Floozy Fruit." Now, because of the aliterating fragrance name, I couldn't help but think it a tad funny. However, the "SLUT" label is in big letters, and the first thing I felt was uncomfortable, and that part made me roll my eyes and think in a muttering voice, "Goddamn society..."

But the article, as things like this do, intrigued me. So of course I read it.

You may do so here.

Reading it is optional, but it might help with following discussion.
(I sound like an english professor--though I'd probably be requiring y'all to read it and would kick you out of class if you didn't. Snarl hiss.)

So slut--good or bad? My immediate reaction is bad. Bad word, bad lifestyle, bad image. However, this article points out that in today's world, there is a prominent double-standard for that word. I bet y'all have noticed by now that younger and younger kids are getting skankier and skankier. Fashion with young girls and women is leaning towards more bare skin and suggestiveness towards promiscuity. Pop cultural icons are getting to be more and nothing more than a bunch of Tits and Ass with a Pretty Face.
Still.
Women are getting more open and comfortable with their sexuality. For a good long time it was not proper or good for a women to be open with her sexuality, being it from a commited relationship or from swingin' around. And, heh, if a man had seen multiple partners (seperately or all together), he was given pats on the back and status amoung his fellows. So perhaps it's about time that women start get on this kind of status and not be so shamed.

Or not. When it comes down to it, I'm not sure I really like that kind of attitude towards sex from either gender. To treat sex as a thing to have leads to treating people as things to have, and so on. I'd like to believe that the slut image partially comes from our shaming of sex and the human body and so forth. Part of this image is a big "FUCK YOU!" (literally) toward that attitude. While it can be liberating for some people and for some time, it doesn't necessarily lead to a better idea.

The article pointed out that it's starting to be used more as an endearing term and not-so-unclassy term, like "pimp" and "queer." It's used as playful jabs at each other, or as geniune greetings. "Hey slut! How r u? ;) <3" (Freakin' internet) I don't know if I'd casually refer to any of my friends as "slut," but I HAVE used it many times as a playful jab. One of my friends becomes a slut when I can't get ahold of her or when she's unavailable. For no good reason. And there were always those fake arguments/namecalling tournaments, and slut and its various synonyms would come into play (and with some people, they've progressed into really ugly/funny territory, like racism).

I do get slightly uncomfortable when I hear about promiscuous people, though I haven't got much of a clean record. I'm still a virgin (and I don't plan to throw that away any time soon), but I'm not by any means chaste. It may not be such a great thing for me, but I can understand people who are lonely. I can understand the "To hell with it! I do what I want!" attitude. But I've noticed, and maybe it's because of all this cultural stigmas we've placed on such things, that I don't always feel better about myself, nor do I feel any less lonely or sad. I get much happier from non-instant-gratification bonds I make with people. There have been a few times when being physically close with someone had inspired me to become a bit livelier, but I could never keep it up for long.
And I had noticed that these days it was hard for me to really feel something. I've come to realize that what I miss was the obvious--love. Love in general, love from friends, love from someone special, and love during intimate moments. It really sparks it up.

My feelings about "slut" are still mixed. If such a lifestyle makes you happy and you are comfortable with the way you are, sure, I won't slap you around with my personal beliefs. But we all know as we grow older that it is never okay to do something or fit with something purely because other people want you to, or you feel that other people would want you to. No need to show cleavage in every single shirt you own just to feel attractive, nor do you need to wear tiny skirts to be absorbed into the pack of hott chicks.

In the end, I will continue to believe that the general attitude towards sex in our society needs a bit of a repair or two. It is a stigmatized subject, and consequently squirts out the other end as an "I'm so bad I'm good" idea. Sex should not be something to be ashamed of, nor our own bodies. Sexual exploration isn't bad either. What IS important is being smart and being more mature. Sex is for the mature, in more than just body. It is an adult decision, and not something younger people should take lightly. But of course, everyone will have different ideas of what sexuality means to them. Unless it really hurts someone, they have their right to feel and express themselves that way.

It's been a while since I've expressed an opinion on something. Human sexuality, gender, and their relationship in society has long intrigued me. I'm sure my attitude and views have been expressed Ten billionty times, but it's never come from me before!