The stereotype I have chosen to research is the idea that a woman who is considered promiscuous is often seen wrong and shameful, whereas males who are considered promiscuous suffer no harm to their reputation. In American culture, these ideas of women are “sluts” and men are “studs” has become a norm in modern day society, and dates back centuries.
First, it is important to put a proper definition to the word promiscuous. Webster dictionary online defines promiscuity as “not restricted to one class, sort, or person.” In context to what I am and will be discussing, promiscuity is the act of not being restricted to one sexual partner. This topic interested me because there is so much history behind this topic. If someone were to take a look back into previous generations, they would surely see that it is common reoccurring theme for women to be damned for their sexual activity, while as it is rarer to hear the same about men.
One example of this stereotype would be Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, where a women is forced to wear the letter A on her chest in order to humiliate her for having a bastard child. Another more modern portrayal of this and based off of Hawthorne's novel, in the 2010 film Easy A, where a young high school girl begins to pretend to have sexual encounters with different men so that the men can seem to be more of a ladies man, but at the sacrifice of her own reputation It is unclear at the moment, why exactly this double standard exists; however I am excited to find out why.
First off, I love the title of your blog! It's very catchy. I think this is a very bold but important topic and stereotype to analyze. It is prevalent all over the media and certainly affects our generation as college students. I am very interested to see where this stereotype originated and why. My guess is during the Victorian Era, when women were expected to be virginal and pure, saving themselves for their wedding night. Can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteEmily- I think your topic was a good choice. I really liked the examples you used. "The Scarlet Letter" is a perfect example of how promiscuity existed a long time ago, but you also tied it in with the modern day movie "Easy A." This connection between the two time periods shows how the idea of men are "studs" and women are "sluts" really hasn't changed too much over the years.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Emily, and one that should be explored! I cannot wait to see where this blog goes! In my experience with this issue is that women are the ones (mostly) calling each other this name (slut). I believe it could be because some women tend to be jealous of other women, especially if they are in competition for the same man. I also looked up the definition of slut because I think everyone may have a different twist on what it means. I looked it two different dictionary's. one was the urban dictionary and the other was the Merriam Webster. I encourage people to look up the word in the urban dictionary as you will find many different variations of this word. The Merriam Webster said slut meant being promiscuous or someone that has a reputation for sleeping around. I do agree with the double standard and ofter wonder why men have avoided being called a slut as well, and why it only refers to women.
ReplyDelete