Slut shaming: a phenomenon in which women are ridiculed for disobeying the societal standards of sexual conduct set for them. Current examples of this action can be seen in the following:
Halloween: Every year, women’s Halloween costumes become smaller and more sexualized. Along with the shrinking hemlines come a stream of insults, victim blaming, and judgment. Women are devalued and discriminated against based on the amount of clothing they are (or are not) wearing.
Miley Cyrus: When Miley Cyrus recently performed at the MTV VMAs, there was a nonstop discussion of how “raunchy” her outfit and actions were. There was little discussion of the racist implications of her performance due to the uproar over how she should (or should not) act.
Rape Culture: a society that delegitimizes victims of sexual assault and blames them for their attacks. It does not adequately deal with acts of sexual violence and often excuses the actions of the attackers. Below are some popular examples that were popularized in mainstream media:
Steubenville, OH–Last year, a 16-year-old girl was raped by two high school football players. When the case went public, the girl was blamed for the assault due to the fact that she was intoxicated at a party when it occurred. Her attackers were heralded as “nice boys” who didn’t do anything wrong, whereas she was considered a “bitch” who wanted to ruin their lives for no reason.
Billings, MT–In 2007, a 14-year-old girl was raped by her high school teacher, a then-48-year-old man. In 2010, the girl committed suicide but her attacker was only given 30 days in prison. The judge who presided over the case defended the perpetrated that the girl seemed “older than her chronological age” and “as much in control of the situation as was the defendant.”