Women live in a world where no matter what they do with their bodies, they are told they should feel ashamed of it. Wearing makeup is supposedly a form of deceit meant to trick men, loving your body means you're vain, knowing you're pretty means you're conceited, and being confident about anything about yourself makes you a bad person. No matter what women do or how they conform to societies rules they will be judged. That's why I am proud to be labeled a "slut" in today's society, because being a "slut" can be a good thing.

1. Sex is healthy for you

Not only is sex fun, but it's also good for your body in many different ways. Obviously, it helps burn calories, but it also reduces stress, helps you sleep better, puts you in a better mood, eases pain and improves your immune system and heart health.

2. Men can't have it both ways

A man's ideal woman is someone who knows her way around the bedroom, but is also semi-innocent or naive; she must be confident in her sexuality but not too confident otherwise she's a "slut" because she is a sexually expressive woman. Many men want a woman that can change based on whatever his desires are at any given moment, which is not even possible. Whether or not you like a person shouldn't be determined on your sexual adequacy or experience.

3. It helps to boost your confidence.

Before you get your panties in a bunch at this statement, know that I don't mean to suggest that a woman needs a man to love herself. After a really bad break-up with a pretty abusive guy, I didn't think anyone else would want me. My ex made me think he was as good as I was ever going to get; like I should have felt lucky just to have been with him. However, when we finally broke up, I discovered this whole other world where a lot of guys wanted me. They didn't just want me for sex either, some of them wanted to have a real relationship with me. The more I got to explore my sexuality, the more confident I felt about myself and my body. I knew men wanted me, and I knew that I had the power to decide if I wanted to be with them. It was so invigorating to have that power, to be able to say what I wanted to do with my body and with whom. Being comfortable with my body gave me the confidence to be more outgoing and to try new things.

4. It's okay to be proud of your sexuality.

There is nothing wrong with telling anyone and everyone that you have a great and diverse sex life. It's also okay to be proud of not having a sex life at all. Owning who you are and what you decide to do with your body is something everyone—men and women—should do. While being proud of your sex life is great, saving yourself until marriage or just for the right person to come along is good too. Life is too short to be pressured by what society and the media tells us we should be doing with our lives. If we listened to everything society wanted us to do, all 18-year-olds should be in college and married by their mid-twenties with plans of having kids soon after. What's important is being comfortable with who you are regardless of the number of sexual partners, or lack thereof, you've been with.

5. You'll always have an interesting story to tell people at parties.

Being a "slut" means you always have juicy gossip about your latest escapade or escapades. I don't know how many times my friends have seen me after the weekend and immediately ask how my weekend was with a very suggestive voice. It's fun knowing that I have people I can share my experiences with, especially when some of them are virgins and they have told me countless times that they live vicariously through me. Plus, there's nothing that will bond two people together like a bad one night stand story.

6. You're the expert on everything sex related.

You know all those awkward sex questions you always had but didn't have anyone to ask except Google? Well, you are now Google. Once you've explored a few things and been with a few people, you're pretty much an expert on everything that goes on. Also, knowing that you can be there for your friends to answer any embarrassing questions they might have is a good feeling. Sometimes there are things that you can't ask your parents and can't find the answers on Google.

7. You have experience being with someone intimately and opening yourself up to another person.

My mom always told me that every time you have sex with someone you're giving them a piece of yourself that you can't get back. Well mom, I'm sorry to say that saying never applied to me. Whenever I decided to be intimate with another person, it was me deciding that, and it was me choosing to let them in. I wasn't giving anything away to the person I was with, it was something we both shared. Sex isn't always emotional or spiritual or any of that other crap. Sometimes sex is just sex. I'll admit that there is some emotion going on, mostly lust and maybe the possibility of friendship if you want it, but usually nothing more. Sex can be an amazing, intimate experience where both people bare their souls to each other and choose to be vulnerable, or it can just be physical with a casual "that was fun" at the end of it. Your sexual experiences can be whatever you want them to be, as long as it's consensual and you're both having fun.

8. Women have the right to do whatever they want to with their bodies

Women don't have to answer to anyone about what they do or don't do with their bodies. It's not another person's place to decide if someone is a "slut" or not. The number of people a woman has slept with should not determine the kind of person she is. Woman are not defined by their sexual partners or sex life. Women should be defined by intelligence, personality, strength, ingenuity, skills, awards, education, career, confidence and overall, whether or not she is a decent human being, just like the way we judge men on what kind of person they are. If a man has had a lot of sexual partners then he is to be praised. Men are not subjected to being looked at as objects or a walking sex doll. They are not judged by who they've slept with or how many, they are judged by the kind of person they are. Why aren't women?