By Alexandria Arritt
Amber Rose, blonde with a buzz-cut, single mother, all in one entrepreneur and feminist icon, speaks about the term “slut” and says, “If I hang out with guys they always thought that I was having sex with them. So now I take the bullying, the derogatory labeling and I refer to myself as a slut.” Slut: (noun) \ˈslət \ a lewd, dissolute, or promiscuous woman. Otherwise known as a derogatory term for a woman who is sexually active. Slut, a four-letter word that is used to make women feel inferior. The term “slut” is thrown around carelessly and daily. Women and men alike chase the band wagon to let women know that a women’s sexual activity is somehow dirty and bad. But women, like Amber Rose, are taking back the name. Reappropriation is the next step for many women participating in the fight to end the misogynistic use of language.
Reappropriation is a relatively new concept is claiming a derogatory term so the term loses its rhetorical effect as a weapon. The word “slut” is used against women to make them feel guilty for expressing sexual desires and needs. When people do this, it can be referred to as “slut-shaming.” I’ve witnessed it, you’ve probably witnessed it, and so have your friends and family. It’s an epidemic!
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