Denying women’s sexuality is an outdated practice
By Kayla Lemay
Comment Staff
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
I don’t know if you’ve ever been called a name before, but that childhood retort to any name-calling is a complete lie.
It’s especially true to women who are in total control of their sexuality. Women who choose to do what they want, when they want, and sleep with who they want.
What do we call them? They’re not nice words, and they should never be used on this campus, or anywhere else, again.
Recently it came out that a Duke University freshman was in pornography to help her pay her tuition. Rather than run from this revelation into her private life, she used it as an opportunity to speak her mind, and tell the world that how they treat women is dead wrong.
On the website Xojane, she stood up for women just like her. Not necessarily in the pornography industry, but rather women who enjoyed their sexuality, and women who didn’t care what others thought about that.
“Women are supposed to be outwardly pure and modest, while at the same time being sexually alluring and available,” she wrote. “If a woman does not have sex after a date, she will be labeled as a prude. If she does have sex, she will be referred to later as a ho or a slut.”
Has anyone ever stopped to think about what she’s saying, and how true it is?
Kacey Musgraves sings in her song “Follow Your Arrow” that “If you save yourself for marriage, you’re a bore. If you don’t save yourself for marriage you’re a horrible person.”
Why are these messages about our lack of understanding each other coming out from the woodwork?
Because, as a whole, we’re starting to realize it. If it wasn’t for people taking their fifteen minutes of fame to speak out, the knowledge that we are a very judgmental society would stay hidden.
So the next time that girl you see on campus is wearing a short skirt, don’t call her a slut. She’s probably just extremely proud that leg day is paying off for her.
Don’t take that joy away from women, or men, or anybody. Instead, be happy that others are comfortable with who they are, and be glad in the fact that they’re choosing to share that comfort with you. You’re a pretty lucky person.
Kayla Lemay is the General Assignments Editor at The Comment. Follow her on Twitter @klemay123 or email her at klemay@student.bridgew.edu.
