Slut

The common denotative meanings of slut are 'sexually promiscuous woman', Although the ultimate origin of the word slut is unknown, it first appeared in Middle English in 1402 as (AHD), with the meaning of 'dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman'. Even earlier, Geoffrey Chaucer used the word sluttish () to describe a slovenly man; however, later uses appear almost exclusively associated with women. Another early meaning was 'kitchen maid or drudge' (), a meaning retained as late as the 18th century, when hard knots of dough found in bread were referred to as ''slut's pennies. Slut and slutishness'' occur in Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It, written in 1599 or 1600. In the nineteenth century, the word was used as a euphemism in place of bitch in the sense of a female dog. Today, the term slut has a pervasive presence in popular culture and pornography, but is almost exclusively used to describe women. An exact male equivalent of the term does not exist. The lack of a comparably popular term for men highlights the double standard in societal expectations (gender roles) between males and females, as negative terms for sexually promiscuous males are rare. Out of the 220 terms ascribed to females and 20 terms ascribed to males, The word slut is commonly interchanged with the words tramp, whore, hoe, nympho, and hooker. All of these words have a very negative connotation. Additional meanings and connotations of the term are negative and identify a slut as being a slovenly and ugly person, for example, as in these quotations from OED2: The attack on the character of the person is perhaps best brought together by the highly suggestive and related compound word, ''slut's-hole'', meaning a place or receptacle for rubbish; the associated quote provides a sense of this original meaning: Slut can also be used as verb to denote behavior characterized as that of a slut. For example, in the 1972 play, That Championship Season, by Jason Miller, contained the exchange: == Alternative usages and culture ==

General ) in New York City; many of them carry signs with slogans relating to and condemning sexual assault and discussing public perceptions thereof|thumb|There have been various efforts to both criticise and reclaim use of the word slut. The word slut is used as a slang term in the BDSM, polyamorous, and gay and bisexual communities. A parallel exists between the female term slut and the term gay for males. Unlike women, who are usually policed for being sexually promiscuous, men are often criticized for not being masculine or dominant enough, thus questioning their heterosexuality. Unlike women, who are expected to be sexually chaste, men are expected to be sexually active, thus having more sexual freedom. Although slut is rarely used to describe heterosexual men, it is commonly used among gay males. When discussing sexual activity, slut is used to shame gay men for taking sexual risks, such as unprotected sex or having multiple partners. However, if used in a humorous way, slut may also favor sexual freedom and mark the shift from traditional gender roles in gay men. With BDSM, polyamorous, and non-monogamous people, in usage taken from the book The Ethical Slut, the term has been used as an expression of choice to openly have multiple partners, and revel in that choice: "a slut is a person of any gender who has the courage to lead life according to the radical proposition that sex is nice and pleasure is good for you." A slut is a person who has taken control of their sexuality and has sex with whomever they choose, regardless of religious or social pressures or conventions to conform to a strait-laced monogamous lifestyle committed to one partner for life. The term has been reappropriated to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion may judge or control one's personal liberties, and the right to control one's own sexuality. In April 2013, Emily Lindin, founder of the UnSlut Project, created a blog to share her stories on sexual bullying to "provide some perspective to girls who currently feel trapped and ashamed". The blog now consists of entries from members of all ages, ethnicities, and genders. The film, UnSlut: A Documentary Film, coincides with the project and is screened across the country. The double standard associated with slut-labeling is part of the modern-day rape culture. Rape culture is "the casual debasement [of women] ... that has become such a part of our lives that it is often invisible." Though people in society are vocally anti-rape, there is an insinuation that certain types of rape are acceptable or that women are voluntarily taking actions that justify sexual advances. "For example, women continue to be blamed if they are raped because of how they are dressed, the assumption that women purportedly lie about being raped remains popular, and certain women, such as married women or women of colour, are still considered 'unrapeable'". The word slut and the double standard it contains reflects the gender norms and gender biases There have been many movements or "SlutWalks" taking place around the world to regain a sense of pride in women. Many slut walks or movements protest against the idea that a woman's appearance, often considered promiscuous, is a justification of sexual assault and rape. The participants in these walks protest against individuals that excuse rape due to the woman's appearance, including victim blaming and slut shaming; slut walks have now become a worldwide movement. Women of color The word slut means different things to white women and people of color, especially black women. Slut has different associations for black women. Anna North of The New York Times covered Leora Tanenbaum who stated, "As Black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves 'slut' without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is." She argued that, for black women, the word slut does not mean anything very harmful due to the history of being treated as slaves in the past. Black women's "relationship to the term slut" is informed by a history of racism and slavery, of "having been seen as objects of property, not just for the sexual gratification of those in power but also for reproduction of whole generations of slaves, which involved rape most of the time." People of color, especially black people, had been avoiding words like slut, jezebel, hottentot, mammy, mule, sapphire, or welfare queens. Model and actress Amber Rose was one of the first people to conduct and take a lead for a SlutWalk for people of color. "The Amber Rose SlutWalk Festival is a completely inclusive space. This event is a zero tolerance event and we do not condone hateful language, racism, sexism, ableism, fat-shaming, transphobia or any other kind of bigotry. Further, we recognize that shaming, oppression, assault and violence have disproportionately impacted marginalized groups, including women of color, transgender people and sex workers, and thus we are actively working to center these groups at our events." ==See also==