Nowadays, a woman’s place in society has, with exceptions, improved. However, women still face a setback: the impact of societal standards on women’s clothing.
Our society can, at times, be harsh and critical about women’s appearance. When a woman is wearing more revealing clothing, hurtful words like “slut” are sometimes used.
“I don’t care what people wear; whether they wear more revealing clothes or are more covered up, it is their choice, but people should dress to fit the occasion,” said sophomore Sydney Pon.
Evelyn Lawrence, a sophomore, said, “People can wear whatever makes them feel confident.”
Calling a girl a slut because of revealing clothing is a put-down. Nour Zabaneh, a sophomore, said, “[Girls] can be jealous of their confidence or their looks.”
According to Google dictionary, the definition of “slut” is “a woman who has many casual sexual partners.”
Pon stated that the word “slut” is misused and “has become detached from its definition.” What one wears is nowhere related to the original meaning of the word.
Google has the following synonyms for slut: “promiscuous woman, prostitute, [and] whore.”
Senior Elise Dimick, co-president of the Feminist Club, said, “Women have the right to express themselves; unfortunately, [society] has a history of degrading women for sexual activity, and being too sexual is condemned.”
However, today’s media often puts pressure on women to dress sexy.
Lawrence said, “Through social media, women are exposed, presenting a sexual tone that is both negative and unfair to women.”
If a woman dresses according to media standards, she takes the risk of being called a slut.
Sophie Fox, a senior and co-president of the Feminist Club, said, “Society is obsessed with sexual behavior, and ridicules sexual or abnormal behavior, and society is quick to judge [how a woman dresses].”
Although people’s fashion choices can reflect their personality, assumptions can’t be made about a person’s sexuality.
