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Essay / The History of the Word "Slut" - 2599
According to the New York Times, the use of the word "slut" has tripled in the last decade alone, increasing to 1,277 uses in 685 shows in 2007, compared to 431 uses in 2007. 103 primetime episodes in 1998 (Wyatt, 2009). Several years later, the use of the term has increased significantly since 2007. Today, the term is present not only on television, but also in popular music, literary works, online media, and everyday conversations. What will be studied and analyzed to better understand the complexities brought by the term will include everyday conversations, particularly between women; as well as some popular culture texts that include misogynistic lyrics, particularly in the hip hop and rap genres. How did the term “slut” evolve into desensitization? What are the flexibilities of its meanings and the rules of use? Why and how do women reclaim the voice towards themselves and each other? The term is mainly used towards women when they demonstrate honesty, outspokenness, confidence and strength. It is also used towards men who do not fit the hegemonic standards of masculinity created by society. Finally, it is used to describe a person or object that can be subordinate to another such as "Work is a bitch!" or “You’re my female dog!” As mentioned, women also began using the word "bitch" towards each other to express friendship or empowerment with expressions such as "I'm that bitch/I'm the head bitch in charge." The fact that there is a correlation between a female dog (female dog) and a female dog is very critical. Excessive uses of the word and the contexts behind them do not benefit women in any way. In fact, it oppresses women, although it has become much more common for women to use it in the midst of difficult history and has become its own culture. The word has a major influence and a powerful meaning. This is important because the word is gradually transforming into something normal in our vocabulary. Although feminists in previous years have emphasized the negative nature of the term "slut", modern feminists are appropriating the term and challenging society to improve the definition(s). It's also important because the word is primarily used and applied to women who make up a significant population in our demographic. The increasing use of the word leads the future of our society to label people and objects as sluts without understanding the meaning of the term, rich and colorful, but sexist and historically reinforcing. References Haber, T. (1965). CANINE TERMS APPLIED TO HUMAN BEINGS AND HUMAN EVENTS: PART I. American Speech, 40(2), 83