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Written Analysis

Slut shaming?  Does the concept ring a bell? Whether you’ve been victimized by slut shaming or inflicted pain on a woman for slut shaming, this modern day dilemma of labeling sexually liberated women negatively and then punishing them socially for “possessing” this identity NEEDS TO END. So what is slut shaming exactly? According to the English Oxford Dictionary, it is “the action or fact of stigmatizing a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative.” To be more specific, this flawed concept certainly touches base with a gender double standard and the oppression women have to face. Women who partake in any sort of expression revealing sexiness or seduction is completely irrelevant to the intelligence they might possess. Nonetheless, if you consider yourself as provocative and wear a professionally attired skirt that seems to be a little short, you are shamed and judged for it instantaneously. This topic goes as far back into the 1940’s where philosopher Simone De Beauvoir published “The Second Sex,” yet, the only difference in present time is how normalized and omnipresent slut shaming is.

 Slut shaming is extremely correlated with Descartes theory of Mind and Body Dualism. I say this because of how prominent the idea of how the mind and body are two different vessels that exist apart. In the Sixth Meditation, Descartes calls the mind a thing that thinks and not an extended thing. He defines the body as an extended thing and not a thing that thinks. (Calef) In Descartes, Discourse on Method and Mediations on First Philosophy, he states “I am present to my body not merely in the way a seaman is present to his ship, but . . . I am tightly joined and, so to speak, mingled together with it, so much so that I make up one single thing with it" (Descartes,1980) Even though he argues that the soul is what conjoins the two, our functions of the body and mind are divergent. Yet, the significant problem in today’s society is the fact that people, mainly men, can’t or won’t differentiate between a woman’s mind and body. A large majority of individuals have been socially brainwashed to believe that whatever a woman shows on a physical level reflects her persona on a mental level. To be more specific, if a woman’s blouse isn’t buttoned to the top and relatively shows cleavage in a work environment, she can immediately be labeled as “the office slut.” To give a more general idea, we identify a woman named Valerie. As we identify her as a woman, we immediately believe she has no talent in playing football. This concludes to bad reasoning because there is no such idea or rule of being a woman and eliminating the chances of her being good at football. As this sexism occurs every single day, it’s important to educate those who have adopted this unintelligent, flawed logic. It’s 2017, and for some odd reason, it is still hard to believe that a woman can be SMART AND BEAUTIFUL, despite the mounting evidence that we can be or already are.

 The beauty about all of this is how the other half of the world applies Descartes theory and has created numerous organizations, foundations, and movements to advocate feminism and terminate the misogynistic plague of slut shaming. Women started to notice how detrimental and serious this issue was when injustice and inequality reached its limit when intolerable disrespect and slut shaming extended all the way to the women who held powerful positions. The women who deserve a standing ovation were and are still sadly ridiculed despite their success. For example, when Katie Couric landed the monumental role of being the first women anchor on air, instead of questioning her capabilities, the media questioned and suggested things about her physicality. The moment a woman scores a position of leadership, they often get comments thrown back at them for their looks, body, and sexual appeal. Sarah Palin is another good example, who is still sexualized to this day. Amber Rose, Wiz Khalifa’s ex-wife, was exceedingly slut shamed due to her past and what she posts on social media, yet the overly-sexualized entrepreneur and mother has her own clothing line and television show. She decided to take a risky stand for herself and those who have been victimized, and generated a yearly event called “SlutWalk.” The walk includes an awareness walk, art shows, musical performances, celebrity guest appearances, and testimonials. The men and women who participate don’t condone in hateful language, racism, sexism, ableism, fat-shaming, or any type of bigotry. They value and afford a platform to the voices of those who have a deep desire to stop this downward social trend and seek resolution. Another prominent operation would be the #AskHerMore Campaign. The representation project created this popular trend to inspire people to call out sexist reporting and suggest ways to re-focus on women’s achievements. They have changed red carpet culture by encouraging reporters to ask celebrities more relevant questions rather than solemnly questioning their appearances. Actresses like Reese Witherspoon and Shonda Rhimes have engaged in this campaign to show the world and pop culture that they are more than just the fancy gowns they adorn. Womankind’s acknowledgement of the truth behind the distinct separation of mind and body has driven their motives to be heard nation-wide. Jennifer Siebel Newson directed a documentary called “Miss Representation” that was circulated globally and attracted viewers in an attempt to make a difference and change the stigma. The document focuses on how women don’t have a voice in today’s society due to the constant emphasis on their body, and body parts, which continuously dehumanizes them and send out a message that they do not matter as a whole in their complexity.  The documentary’s credibility is owed to its content of factual evidence; making such an effective argument that it has now progressed into an organization and robust movement.

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Rene Descartes

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This is a preview for Miss Representation (2011). 

This has been out for 3 years and I had no idea. I must live under a rock. Totally gonna watch it this week and share my thoughts. 

I’d love to start a conversation about the ever pressing topic of women in the media. Message me or send me a tweet @turningpointswh

Have you seen/heard of this movie before?

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Political commentator, author and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, ‘Miss Representation’ [2011]

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Girls get the message from very early on that what’s most important is how they look, that their value, their worth depends on that. And boys get the message that this is what’s important about girls. We get it from advertising. We get it from films. We get it from television shows, video games, everywhere we look. So no matter what else a woman does, no matter what else her achievements, their value still depends on how they look.

Jean Kilbourne, Miss Representation (via thesociologicalcinema)

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Miss Representation (2011)

An eye-opening perspective on the inequality of women in American society, not only in terms of rights and benefits but also hugely in representation both in public office and in media. This captivating documentary provides stunning statistics, relevant personal accounts, and the clear and concise purpose of exposing the objectification and misrepresentation of women in every mass media outlet. Anyone who is confused on why feminism is important should absolutely check out this film.

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Judging from the women’s magazines today, it would seem that the concrete details of women’s lives are more interesting than their thoughts, their ideas, their dreams.

Betty Friedan, 1963

How far have we come? #AskHerMore

(via femininefreak)

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This is the only reason that I might watch some of the Oscar coverage this year.

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🙌 preach 🙌

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imagine you dedicate your oscars acceptance speech to wage equality and look into the crowd and meryl streep and jlo and all the women in the world are rooting for you

ALL. OF. THIS.

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Sigh

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This will make you cry!

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