by Mylie T.
Sluts Redefined! is setting the stage for female clothing and portraying a message everyone should hear about what it is to be a slut and how it’s a beautiful, wonderful thing!
For years now, social media has been used to spread awareness, to build human interaction, and to contact people around the world. With all of the wonderful things social media has to offer, there are also negative effects to widespread availability. Cyber bullying and public shaming have become too common and often accepted by media operating systems. A common form of ridicule and bullying that’s been used across platforms and aimed specifically towards woman is Slut Shaming.
Slut-Shame
Verb
gerund or present participle: slut-shaming
stigmatize (a woman) for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative.
“she was slut-shamed for wearing a bikini” (actual Oxford Dictionary definition.)
Slut shaming has definitely been occurring for centuries. One of the oldest tales, The
Scarlet Letter, being taught to high schools around the United States for decades. The women and men that have dealt with this form of bullying have experienced it in many ways. What we see as a society is that hate can cause a chain reaction and with social media being available to more and more people, hate chains can stretch very far and enter a never-ending loop. People from across the world, who don’t even know your name or what you look like can and will judge you.
Slut shaming now becomes an act that strangers can participate in from wherever they are on whatever they see-pictures, videos, and profiles that stay up online for years.
As a feminist and a member of my progressive generation, the definition of the word slut is changing. Not only is the word “slut” used incorrectly often, but it is also not acceptable to shame women, anyone that has casual sex, that has experienced multiple different relationships or that wears certain clothes.
Our Money is a recurring show on Snapchat, a widely popular social media platform, which focuses on how young people have started businesses in response to issues they see facing the world. Sluts Redefined! Was started by Nicki and Mari, young women that have both been slut shamed and labeled and are tired of “Slut” not being used as a good thing, because to them, it is a wonderful thing. Sluts Redefined! Is a clothing store, selling merchandise that highlights slut positivity so other people can wear it proud and spread the message. Nicki and Mari even wrote a new definition for “slut”, and it seems fitting for a new generation.
Slut
Offensive
A woman who has many casual sexual partners
Empowering
A person who is confident in their sexuality and does not let any one person or institution define their self-worth
A bad bitch who wears what [he/she/they/ze] want
Someone who understands that sexual promiscuity does not equate to being any less of a person
Characteristics: confident sex-positive non-judgmental resolute HOT
How is Sluts Redefined! Making a Difference?
This woman-owned company started in May 2021. It’s new and fresh and a huge step in dismantling the unfavorable and damaging connotation “Slut” has. Nicki and Mari have been called sluts for years. They’ve experienced firsthand the shaming, the bullying, and the negativity from being called “sluts” and they were tired of it being used as a bad word. From the Sluts Redefined! about us page, the founders made it clear that they “stand for the right of all people to wear what they want and sleep with whomever they want- without being shamed for their choices.
“We hope that pairing everyday trendy clothing with our cheeky illustrations will serve as a way to both express yourself and create authentic conversations regarding sexuality.” ~Nicki & Mari
Voices like these women are needed for young people to understand that they can wear whatever they want, it does not change who you are. Everyone can have sex, it’s a natural and amazing thing and should be enjoyed by everyone, especially women. This company is important, every brand that will step on societies toes to prove their point has my support. And what does this clothing company sell? Shirts, hats, sweatsuits, pins, are all on sell and labeled with sayings such as “Girls Cum First”, “Let Your Flaps Fly”, and “Oops, I did him again” (That last one being so popular that it’s completely sold out right now). They also send free condoms with every order. Making big stands whether that be wearing clothing like this, starting a positive business or standing up for people in person and online are some of the simplest forms of recontextualization “slut” needs. As a bystander in public, you can also stand up for someone that you hear or see is being shamed, because women won’t stand by and let sex stay a men’s only game. And women can wear whatever they want, sleep with whoever they want, and it doesn’t take away from their self-respect or self-worth.
Sluts Redefined! is not afraid to push boundaries and to spread the positive cheer of a slut, a beautiful thing!