Women's Sexuality:
Labeled?
BY MACKENZIE CAPPELLE
This photo series revolves around labeling the sexuality of women. Terms like “hoe”, “whore”, “slut”, and “prude” are common to hear on a college campus, but the impact of these words is rarely taken into consideration. These labels are typically reserved for women and to demean individuals. As a model participating in the shoot said, “If I were to do anything sexually related with someone else, someone may call me a slut for that, but if I don’t, they could call me a prude. The thing is, society will damn you no matter how you choose to live your life.”
Here, we utilized several elements to visually represent this negative stigma surrounding women’s sexuality. Each model was asked to comment on their views of the label they were photographed with. Every model expressed how each term paints women in an unfavorable light. While this is a small sampling of the WashU community that identifies as women, it is clear we are aware of how harmful these labels are. I hope that this series of photos and quotes help our community reflect before generalizing women for their sexual choices through labeling. |
"Slut is certainly a derogatory term. All of these terms are, but with different definitions. If I were to do anything sexually related with someone else, someone may call me a slut for that, but if I don’t, they could call me a prude. The thing is, society will damn you no matter how you choose to live your life."
“I find both the terms ‘whore’ and ‘prude’ to be negative as they are used in present-day society. For prude, stereotypes may include a girl who is uptight or leads guys on without sleeping with them as they might expect in return. A "whore" may be associated with girls who enjoy having sex more but are stereotyped as easy to get or promiscuous. I think this shoot with these terms captured the idea that you really can't win in terms of your sexual behaviors regardless of how you choose to act, but that at the end of the day, it really shouldn't be anyone else's concern to begin with.”
“I’ve been called a prude multiple times, simply because I didn’t feel like doing something, by friends and partners alike. It certainly made me question whether my choices were ‘normal’ or not. At the end of the day, if I chose not to engage in sexual behavior, why should I be judged for it?"
“Hoe is such a commonly used word, which has pros and cons. One pro is that the overuse of the word makes it more casual and less offensive when used, but one con is that it reveals a culture that makes such frequent name-calling a norm or a joke."
Special thanks to: Emme Wiederhold Rebecca Shen Katie Ehrlich |