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Originally Posted by mixedmedia
I reclaim the word slut because within the confines of a relationship I am perfectly content to act like one. I enjoy it. It's very freeing and pleasant for me. It seems okay because it is okay - for me. Perhaps not for you. Then don't reclaim it for yourself. Personally, I have just as much problem with the pejorative use of bitch as I do slut.
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Whoops. I meant to delete that whole section you quoted to which this is the reply. I almost wanted to say that and then realized that the distinction I was trying to make between those two words was not there.
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Originally Posted by mixedmedia
I'm not trying to spin it as something that I'm proud of. I'm exhibiting a sense of humor about it. I accept what I have done in the past and also accept that all of my experiences, good, bad, poor choices or not, are directly responsible for the woman I am today. I am not proud of everything I've done, but I am not ashamed of them, either. I didn't hurt anyone or act out of malice, deceit or any other malintention. There are far worse things a person can do to garner shame and judgment than sleep around, after all. I like to keep things in perspective. And furthermore, I refuse to take on the lifelong self-stigmatization of being a "victim" of what some might consider my "slutty" behavior. I'm not saying that you were implying any of those things...just free-thinking. But I sense a little of that in some posts on this thread.
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I apologize for missing the joke. I guess I am taking everything in this thread somberly because the OP, for me, is a very serious issue and one that I am very tired of dealing with. In fact, I find it very difficult to talk about it at all, and it's not for lack of opinion or feeling on the subject. I was just trying to ease myself into the discussion by engaging others about their own ideas before I found myself unintentionally unleashing a lot of misdirected anger.
I'm glad to read your response to this, mostly because I agree and respect what you have to say about it, I would be glad even if you had exactly the opposite to say. My intent was only to spur further discussion by prodding you for a fuller explanation of your reasoning. I hope it wasn't too harsh or uninviting.
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Originally Posted by mixedmedia
I disagree with this. I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect that someone who would say a girl looks slutty walking down the street with her thong exposed in the back would say the same about a woman posting pictures of herself nude on the internet. And to be clear, I DO NOT THINK THESE THINGS ABOUT EITHER OF THEM. Just trying to make a point.
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You use the word "expect" and I am trying to understand why it is reasonable to make this assumption. I think it is certainly possible that many people think these two things go together, just as there are people (like me) who see them as two very different things. If I see a woman behaving a certain way in the street, I feel that it is justified to silently judge her at the same time as not judging people who are posting nude art photographs on the internet. That is not hypocrisy because they are different things to me.
Maybe you don't make this distinction because you are including the non-art exhibition posts (the women "engaged in sexual activity on the internet for strangers"). Or does that make a difference to you? Of course, even people engaging in sexual activity on the internet doesn't offend my sensibilities if the intention is still art or some form of personal liberation. My personal line of judgment is crossed when the intention is to attract a certain kind of attention that is driven by an unhealthy need for validation (which doesn't ever seem to be fulfilled). In real life, I judge people based on this all the time - I just don't rudely throw it in their faces or make life-changing decisions based on it. I'm sure my snap judgements turn out to be wrong a lot. But some of my snap judgments are fed evidence that supports them, and those turn into more permanent opinions I hold about those people.