everyday slut shaming

Can We Please Use the Word Slut Correctly?

Last night, Larry Wilmore dedicated all 25 minutes of The Nightly Show to the subject of “slut-shaming,” from Mo’ne Davis to Monica Lewinsky. This included a helpful etymological breakdown of the actual word slut. Which Wilmore defines as follows: “a girl who developed faster than you both physically and emotionally; she dabbled in healthy sexual experimentation, which was intimidating; or she refused to have sex with you, which was frustrating.” The term is correctly deployed in order to punish her for making the speaker feel bad.

Understanding this explanation is crucial for anyone engaging in slut-shaming, Wilmore points out. Because, as demonstrated by the Bloomsburg University baseball player who incorrectly called a 13-year-old a slut because he wanted to trash her on the internet, nothing makes you seem like even more of an ignorant asshole than abusing the English language while you slut-shame.

Watch the entire episode here for a lively panel discussion of both slut-shaming and sexual empowerment, and excellent clarification of semi-related “slutty” terms, such as “booty call,” “walk of shame,” “dick pic,” and “friends with benefits.”

Can We Please Use the Word Slut Correctly?