Thoughts on Slut Shaming...

I have been called “slutty” for wearing a feather boa in this picture - the whole setting is a nod to Janis Joplin’s “Pearl” album cover. If you did not get that, your bad. I would like to use this opportunity to take a public stand against slut shaming, clothes shaming, and body shaming. I have had it up to here (*makes short, sharp hand-to-chin gesture*) with women being shamed on social media.

And we are, relentlessly. Who has never read comments like

• “Looks like she’s given up on herself” - a woman in her leisurewear,

• “Running tights and that figure? That’s brave,” - a woman in her activewear,

• “A no-go with her age/weight!” - a woman in a bikini,

• “Desperate to get laid?” - a woman in a miniskirt.

• “Fanatic!” - a woman wearing a headscarf

• “Slut!” - apparently, a woman with a feather boa around her neck.

At times I have worn - and probably posted myself wearing - all of the above. And let me tell the shamer: I do not care to hear your opinion! Keep it to yourself and don’t bother me with whatever my picture evokes in your mind. You may feel entitled to bother me anyway, and you may even feel you’re a feminist, or you will tell me “it is only in my own best interest” - but you are NOT entitled! Shaming someone says so much more about you than about the person you are trying to shame. And no feminist would ever shame anyone for what they wear.

I am campaigning for social media to become a safe space, a space where nobody is shamed or silenced in other ways because other people judge their appearance.

You can slut shame me - but never again in my life will I tolerate it quietly. I have made the decision to stick up for myself and others, publicly if it must be, and I will not back down. Go dress yourself!