Embracing Sexuality

The idea of “slut shaming”, calling out a woman for her supposedly promiscuous sexual behavior, stood out in my mind after this week’s reading assignment and class discussion. In her research, Tara Ferguson explored the concept of stereotype activation and how it can affect your perceptions after exposure to individuals in a stereotype group. She found that activating the promiscuous female stereotype can affect participants’ judgments of other women (Ferguson, 2005).  I think that the mass media are often guilty of promoting female character expressing their sexuality and then shaming them for this sexual behavior by deeming them slutty or promiscuous. Women in the media, as seen in the movie Mean Girls, are not encouraged to openly embrace their sexuality due to the negative feedback they receive about doing so.  

 Mean Girls is an American teen comedy written by Tina Fey that describes high school stereotypes and female cliques and the effects of these social groups on teenagers. The movies central plot line depicts Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, who is new in school and embarks on a mission to take down the high school’s “Queen Bee”, Regina George. The movie depicts her mission and the everyday life as a member of “The Plastics” which is the high school’s top tier social group. Throughout the movie, the main characters use degrading language to refer to each other’s sexual behavior. This language promotes stereotypes of high school females as promiscuous and reinforces sexual activity with negative circumstances and consequences. For example, in one scene where the girls are on a four-way phone call Cady tries to turn other members of her clique against Regina when she tells Karen, “Regina says everyone hates you because you’re such a slut” (Michaels, 2004). Such language promotes the idea that promiscuous behavior will lead to backlash not only from your friends but also from the entire school. In another scene, Regina finds out that Cady has been pursuing her ex-boyfriend and decides to describe her as, “The nastiest skank bitch I have ever met. Do not trust her. She is a fugly slut” (Michaels, 2004). Such language is not only demeaning but it reinforces the idea that sexual activity amongst women leads to negative consequences such as the destruction of a girl’s reputation and potentially the loss of friendships. As seen in the Ferguson article, these portrayals of females as promiscuous individuals can reinforce the ideas that the victims of sexual harassment cases are more responsible for what happened and less traumatized when receiving verbal request or verbal comment (Ferguson, 2005). In terms of actual sexual harassment cases, then, it is safe to assume that the negativity surrounding women portrayed as pursuing sexual activity can be seen has having some pretty substantial real life effects. Perhaps, though, there is hope for challenging the shame females in the media receive for being portrayed in a sexual light.

Many emerging celebrities are starting to promote females embracing their sexuality utilizing various media outlets. Probably one of the most prominent examples, which we have even discussed in class, is Beyoncé. In a recent interview with Out Magazine, Beyoncé openly discussed her disdain for the restrictions women face when it comes to openly embracing their sexuality. She told readers, “There is a double standard when it comes to sexuality that still persists. Men are free and women are not (Hicklin, 2014).” Media sources, like Mean Girls, that constantly reinforce female sexuality with negative consequences contribute to the idea that women cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys can. But Beyoncé is actively working to challenge by expressing her view that you can be a, “Business woman, a mother, and artist, and a feminist – whatever you want to be – and still be a sexual being It’s not mutually exclusive” (Hicklin, 2014).  I think it is important to continue to encourage women to embrace their sexuality, of course within reason, and end the double standard that allows men to openly be sexual beings but classifies women who express that same sexuality as sluts. 

References

Ferguson, T., Berlin, J., Noles, E., Johnson, J., Reed, W., & Spicer, C. V. (2005). Variation in the application of the ‘promiscuos female’ stereotype and the nature of the application domain: Influences on sexual harassment judements after exposure to the Jerry Springer Show. Sex Roles, 52 (7-8), 487. Doi: 10.1007/s11199-005-3717-y

Hicklin, A. (2014, April). Beyonce Liberated. Out Magazine, (1-3). 

Michaels, L. (Producer), & Waters, M. (Director). (2004). Mean Girls [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pcitures.