Slut.

Women have heard this word used in a variety of contexts. Sometimes this word is used to describe them or to describe a woman around them. Sometimes actions are deemed as "slutty" or "skanky." And sometimes, even if nothing has happened and a woman rejects a man, she is deemed a slut. By definition, it means "a woman who has many casual sexual partners."

But why is this term used? Why do we continue to use such a damaging, defaming word that has such negative connotations associated with it? And why do we use this term slut to only describe women?

Let's rewind in history a few centuries to the mid-1800s. Then, the ideal woman was a woman who was passionless, pure and abstained from recreational sex. Sex for women in those times was simply for conception, and it was not supposed to be enjoyable. Anyone who deviated from this norm was considered a slut.

So if a woman was considered sexually liberated and enjoyed exploring her sexuality, she was shamed for it. That's not much different from how it is now, is it? Today, the term slut is still used, and for the same reasons. This term is used to degrade and shame a woman for being sexual. However, there are some deviations from what it originally meant.

As explained before, slut was used to describe a woman who enjoyed sex and didn't just go through the act of sex for the continuation of the human species. In contrast, now a woman does not even have to engage in sexual acts to be called this. If a woman is even thought to be a sexual being or show any sort of interest in being sexual, she is considered to be a slut.

Not only does this term degrade a woman, but it also strips her of her bodily autonomy and authority. Why does everyone think it's their business to police a woman's body and the choices she makes for it? As long as everything a woman partakes in is consensual and safe, why shame her?

This term also implies that being sexual while also being female is an inherently bad thing. It screams, "DON'T ENJOY SEX, IT'S BAD." It engrains the idea that purity and virginity make a woman better than others and continues to shame women for being sexual. Why are women not allowed to be sexual? And why in the hell are women not allowed to enjoy sex?!

If we as a society eliminate the negative connotations of this word from our vocabulary, it could possibly be a better place. We could allow women to enjoy and explore their sexuality more freely and find what they enjoy. It would also eliminate the old, sexist idea of virginity and how abstaining from sexual intercourse makes you more "pure." We should all follow suit from our lovely friends who support the SlutWalk movement and eliminate the connotations of this word and stop judging women on clothing, sexual partners, or enjoyment of sexual acts.