“Whore”, “Ho”, “Thot”.

These negative words are not new to the ears of girls. Labels are given to girls who wear certain clothes or engage in sexual activity – I’m talking about slut-shaming.

It happens everywhere, even in classrooms where girls are ridiculed for the clothes they wear because they ‘distract’ the boys.

Too often, girls are encountered with their first instances of slut-shaming in school settings. Dress codes are enforced that strips a girl’s freedom to fashionably express themselves, and if they do, shame is brought down upon them.

Girls are punished for the thought of even interfering with boys’ academic studies (as if a girl’s education is not as important) while statistics show, more women are earning degrees than men. People go to school to earn an education to prepare for a successful future, so why is clothing negatively limiting women?

Slut-shaming only pertains to girls. Double standards are shown between men and women, especially through their sexual activity. Men wear whatever they want, have sex as often as they want and they are praised. Women do that and they are scorned. Why is that? 

The ideas of double standards are ingrained in us from the start. They are passed on through generations, becoming acceptable ways of thinking. Girls are taught to not think about sex, because that is not ‘ladylike.’ People don’t realize that everyone has normal urges, and that should not be established by gender norms. What doesn’t help is that girls start believing this themselves as shown in ways they even interact with each other.

Mean Girls is a perfect example, of how slut-shaming affects girls in a school setting. As said by Tina Fey portrayed as counselor Ms. Norbury in the movie, “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores.” Girls need to realize that to make progressive attempts, they have to start changing the way they view themselves, too.

For everyone, here’s some tips to realizing the ways these ideologies need to change:

1. If ‘boys will be boys,’ then girls will be girls. – Stop the double standards! If girls want to wear a miniskirt, let them rock it. If girls want to have multiple partners, why shouldn’t they? Don’t shame girls for what boys are praised for.

2. Everyone’s education is important. – School settings need to stop reinforcing sexism through the dress codes. We teach girls at a young age to hinder their individuality and sexuality for the sake of a man’s education, while statistically, women are the leaders of education right now. Everyone is entitled to earning an education, to prepare for their futures.

3. Lastly, stop slut-shaming! – Stop labeling people with these derogative names. Girls need to stop thinking these are acceptable ways of calling each other. We reinforce slut-shaming, by shaming each other.

Girls we need to stick together to empower each other. We are more than just a label.