Oh dear. Still processing, but I think it important to say that I understand some women have problems with the word "slut." I do not have that problem. Nor bitch. Cunt, maybe. Sometimes. But this woman's assertion that I am "a slut for Thomas Mallon" is really too funny to even respond to. My riled up inner feminist gets mightily pissed off at the assertion that I am harming women by running Bookslut, however. Maybe we should have a cleaned up version of the site for sensitive feminists, put some pants on the chiquita up on top, change it to Book Lady of a Certain Character. Bookladyofacertaincharacter.com is, believe it or not, available.
I respect the right to free speech. I even respect the right of free opinion. I am one of those sensitive feminists who does - on occasion - object to the word slut. My thoughts are complicated on this matter. I am a feminist, which, depending on your personal definition of the word, means I am either completely humorless, or I hate men (anyone who knows me knows neither is true). If one were to look up the official definition (of feminism) it would read as such:
NOUN:1. Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. 2. The movement organized around this belief.
As I stated earlier, I do not believe we live in a time wherein the above is true. Still.
Words are powerful creatures. I love them. They hold so much within them. They convey small earthquakes of emotion. They can cause young women to hurt themselves. They can damage children without one hand raised against them. But they are also just a collection of letters whose meaning goes no further than the intent with which they are used. And that's where my complicated feelings come in. I think we may all agree that calling a young woman a slut because it is believed she has sex is not only detrimental, it is also hypocritical (as there is no comparative word for young men who have sex). Slut is a very popular word still thrown around too many social groups to imply how scared people are of women who own their sexual pleasure. And it's not just men who use it. So a bunch of sexually empowered women decided to take ownership of the word and embrace it. And because words are just a collection of letters with no more meaning than the intent behind them, I applaud that. Change the intent and you can change the word.
Except. Except. Except...
We still live in a sexually repressed, yet pornographic, society that sexualizes young women while shaming them for wanting to have sex. And I'm beginning to believe that ownership of the word isn't enough. Without actual social change (in which our culture's attitudes, values, and policies toward women are adjusted), calling myself a slut of any kind will do nothing except amuse those friends I have who already believe the same as I do.
So I'm stuck.
I applaud Jessa Cripsin for defending her right to call her website whatever she wants, for believing her personal ownership of the word slut (combined with her support of sexual pleasure for pleasure's sake) is enough. Perhaps it is. And I believe she has every right to make that choice. I honestly have no answers here. But I do know I have avoided buying a Bookslut t-shirt for this very reason. If I can convey my love of books and reading without using a word whose usual intent is to shame women, then that's my choice.
Another Note (and completely unrelated): I will be out of pocket for a few days as I go home to visit family. So no new blogs, no blog reading, barely email checking until Monday. Miss me?
I leave you with my favorite cartoon, sent to me by someone (AMC? Beka? - sorry I don't remember which. Sorry!).
4 comments:
My two cents: The word slut is only offensive, to me, in offensive context. She's not saying she's a sex-slut, she's saying she's a book-slut. And I think that's a clever and appropriate reappropriation of that word. She now owns that word and is using it to say "My mind is a slut... for knowledge!" So I'm okay with that.
Now, if she had actually had sex with the books... we'd have to start two completely new discussions...
I agree with keyser soze. It's not offensive in the way she uses the word.
I can really relate to your feelings as I have the same problem.
Personally, I've described myself as a bitch sometimes because I can be. However, I don't take the word in the negative sense. Like one time when someone called me a bitch and I replied, 'That's right, I am so don't f*** with me or you'll find your...' (well let's just say I threatened a part of his anatomy he valued). That sort of left him speechless and red faced.
I don't say things like that easily so you have to know I was beyond pissed.
Well, have a great holiday with your family! I will definitely miss you.
But what is a slut in the original sense of the word? A woman whose house is not cleanly kept, who doesn't do her housework properly, or at all.
From there you get to the sexual connotations. So women who do not keep a clean house have loose morals.
Boy, you should see how little housework I do if I can. And the only man I have slept with in ages is Vincent D'Onofrio (in my dreams).
Now in UK English we have a word "slag" which just relates to a woman who sleeps around. Slapper is a nice one, too. No anti-housework fetish involved.
the cartoon weren't me (though I AM stealing it, that's HILARIOUS!!)
Slut doesn't usually bother me, neither does bitch. I suppose as much as I ADORE words I still live by the whole "sticks and stones" rule. Words ARE powerful, but we must remember WE are the ones who create their power.
What I find mildly (it took me five tries to type that) interesting is that I know more MEN than women who are offended by the word "Cunt".
Have a good time with the family!!!
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