The Definition of "Slut"

@ dru's sick and tired
I'm a very head strong person and I see that you are too. I'm not going to back down from what I believe.
and as for rape, don't talk about something you have no idea about

@ emmett james
Don't tell me I have no idea about things you have no idea whether or not I have any ideas about.

The word "slut" is incredibly closely linked to rape culture and if you don't know that, you're the one who lacks knowledge, not me.

@ dru's sick and tired
You want the definition of a slut? Here...

slut [sluht] Show IPA noun an immoral or dissolute woman; prostitute. Obsolete . a dirty, slovenly woman.

Origin: 1375–1425; late Middle English slutte; compare dial. slut mud, Norwegian (dial.) slutr sleet, impure liquid

Word story SLUT first appeared in the written language in 1402, according to the Oxford English Dictionary , that great repository of language information. At that time, SLUT meant roughly what one sense of slattern means today: a slovenly, untidy woman or girl. It also apparently meant “kitchen maid” (”She is a cheerful slut who keeps the pots scrubbed and the fires hot.”). By the end of the 15th century the sense “a woman given to immoral or improper conduct” had come into use, and it is the only meaning in use today. Interestingly, the same second meaning, a promiscuous woman, developed for the term slattern.

Check it at...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slut

Please remember that all posts must remain respectful. Disagreement is perfectly acceptable, but condescension is not.

@ emmett james
I believe we're all capable of reading a dictionary, the issue is what standards one uses to define sexually immoral.

I've never really had a clear definition of the word slut because when I hear it, I also think of the word whore. Knowing the word whore and hearing the word whorehouse (and knowing about prostitution) I can only think that a slut is similar to a prostitute or a whore. This being said I could think that a prostitute is a slut but not all sluts are considered prostitutes and then the definitions of sluts and whores are questioned.

whore
1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.

slut
1.
a. A person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous.
b. A woman prostitute.

So I just think a slut must be [by definition] someone promiscuous but being promiscuous doesn't necessarily make you a slut. (I know of some promiscuous people that simply like sex and it's no big deal, though the people they sleep with they do see again and remain/are friends with.) It's just a huge cycle with the literal definitions and the connections I make but in my opinion I think that a slut is simply someone that has sex often with many people (regardless of who they are and what they know about them) with no intention of being in a relationship with them, seeing them again and no care about the emotions, feelings, negative repercussions or what have you that come after the sex happens.

I've never actually called anyone a slut or considered anyone a slut so my views on the whole thing can/will most likely change sometime, when it happens I'll probably just post again.

@ emmett james
The traditional definition of the word slut often deviates from the social context we use it in.

A lot of the time, a woman is called a "whore" or "slut" because a person judges them to be engaged in sexual relationships/suggestive behavior that the person doesn't agree with. Not necessarily because they're having sex with multiple people or leading a lifestyle of prostitution.

I've been called a slut for dating an older man, a 3-year monogamous relationship. I'm not an independent case. The person brandishing the term "slut" typically does so to describe a person who is "immorally" promiscuous with married man, a best friend's ex-boyfriend, a disliked individual, etc.

And I agree with Dru, the social context has a lot to do with rape culture. "Slut" is a dehumanizing word that labels a person as making immoral decisions about his or her sexuality, as to draw attention to that person's "unethical" actions rather than to the rapist's. And even though the context has changed, you pointed out yourself that the term originated as somebody who behaved immorally because they were making a living off sex- thus why there is such a negative link attached to the word, and why it's been shaped into a victim-blaming term. We use it in a slightly different way, but refer to the stigma attached to it.

A slut, to me, is someone who is sexually open. Someone who talks about sex a lot, or perhaps at inappropriate times. They also need to be sexually experienced and actually know what they are talking about. You can't be a virgin slut, but I don't think it is necessary to have a lot of partners to be a slut.

@ Eunoic
Hi, I'm a slut by your definition. I think sex is great, love it, and love to talk about it. Why is that so wrong to you and why do you judge people like me?

Also, are guys who talk about sex in the locker room sluts or since they're usually lying does it not count?

I really dislike this word because it is so derogatory to sexually active women AND sexually inactive women. The word "slut' is used to label a woman who, by an individual's standards, has too much sex or has sex with too many people. No one can decide what the morally correct way to have sex is without being judgmental or extremely subjective.

I think the word "slut" damages the rights of all women because, in a way, it attempts to take away women's sexual freedom. Women have the right to have sex, talk about sex, think about sex, write about sex, etc. just as much as men do. But the word "slut" attempts to frighten women into letting go of their rights, feeling ashamed of their desires, and being submissive to the people who attach the slut label to them. In essence, the word "slut" is just another attack on women's freedom as a whole. I personally believe the entirety of the slut-shaming culture is ridiculous, childish, and based in stifling women's freedoms.

.

@ manicpixienightmare
Not to mention you can be monogamous and still considered a slut, say if you dress a certain way or a disapproving girlfriend finds out you like anal. There's no end to the sins that will earn one a Slut title.

I hear a lot of slut-shaming amongst my fellow gay guys too. I find it quite hard to deal with, because I think gay guys have enough of a bad rap sex-wise as it is. One of the main homophobic viewpoints on male homosexuality is that it centres around dirty, promiscuous sex. Now, as we've established, promiscuity and dirty sex are not at all intrinsically wrong, and certainly not anyone else's business, but I feel that certain gay guys aren't helping to dispel the myth that all gay men are sex-obsessed when they call other gay guys out for being "slutty". It's kind of a two-way problem in that respect. It needs to be acknowledged both that there's nothing wrong with wanting lots of sex with various different people, and that there are plenty of monogamous, non-promiscuous gay guys; certainly that homosexuality doesn't revolve around sex.

@ dru's sick and tired

I never said I judge sluts! I'm actually pro-slut. I'm a slut myself actually, and I'm proud of it too! Slut-shaming is so dumb to me.

We live in a culture where violence is ok. Death and destruction, A-OK. But the one thing that brought us into this world, sex, is not ok to talk about in public? That seems ridiculous to me.

To me, it should be ok to be a slut! I love sluts :3

dru's sick and tired:

@ manicpixienightmare
Not to mention you can be monogamous and still considered a slut, say if you dress a certain way or a disapproving girlfriend finds out you like anal. There's no end to the sins that will earn one a Slut title.

Yes. Today, people use the word "slut" to describe any person who behaves sexually in a way they personally disagree with. The term is very encompassing, and almost always is defined by the distastes of the person using it.

(enforcing your theme btw.)

Sex is awesome and no one should be shamed for liking sex. Men aren't shamed for liking sex. Women shouldn't be, either. The word "slut" is dumb. As long as sex is safe and consensual, it shouldn't concern you.

If I were to define the word, though, I would say: A "slut" is someone who does not respect the boundaries of a relationship, whether it be sleeping with another girl's boyfriend, or cheating on her own boyfriend. Same thing could go for a man. I guess you could also call that a "home-wrecker."

To me, a slut is someone who uses sex, or the image of sex, to seek out attention. There's a line between having many sexual partners where the goal is to have sex and having many sexual partners where the goal is to gain the attention of third parties.

In a similar but not so similar analogy, a person drinking alcohol because they like alcohol is fine, but a person drinking alcohol to gain the attention of others is often seen as a dumb-ass.

to be a slut is to have the constant need of approval of people that have no affiliation.

@ Ktulu
Is it wrong to want approval of third parties?

I guess I'm just not sure what you mean by approval of third parties...

In my school the word slut is thrown around. School skirt too short? Slut.
Kissed a guy? Slut.
Went out with a guy who went out with a 'popular' girl 2 years ago? Slut.
Dance with a guy at a school disco? Slut.

I don't like the word so I don't use it, I suppose that's probably because I don't really understand the meaning as I'm 14 and I've never had a boyfriend (she admits), but that's my choice. How people want to act is their choice and they shouldn't be labelled for it.

In my opinion, slut is a another derogatory term to make people feel bad. I say people, not girls because men and boys are called this too. But I'm not really familiar with that because I go to a girls school.

Being on Mibba and seeing people's opinions has made me realise that it's more than a word, that didn't seem like much of a big deal because its used so much at my school, but it's a label and it's cruel.

Why can't people just be nice to each other!? Treat others as you would like to be treated, that's what I say!!!

@ gonna hear dru roar.
no it's definitely not wrong to seek the approval of others, but when a person tries way too hard for the approval of others by engaging in acts that they wouldn't do normally, that person only accomplishes hurt for themselves. To me, being a slut is to compensate for low self-esteem in a even more negative manner. That being said, I do hate the use of the word.