A Slut by Any Other Definition

Okay, bear with me.  I'm going to try real hard not to come across as judgmental of the "sacred wisdom" of feminism.  I'm just trying to be real.  Don't ask me for specific details like names, dates and locations.  All I know is there was a PBS broadcast featuring a general feminist outcry over a policeman who told a group of college women that one of the ways to protect themselves from sexual attacks on campus was to not dress like a slut.

Time for a word definition here (one that has been in use for about 500 years or so): 
slut (n) ~ 1. a slovenly, dirty woman 2. a woman of loose morals  3. a prostitute  4. a female dog 


Their beef about the "dress like a slut" reference is that it made the women look like they were "asking for it" or "blame-the-victim-game."  They marched in the streets demanding that it was time that women took back the word slut and owned it.  I don't know about you, but I have no interest in owning this word or any of the connotations that go with it ~ especially not if I'm bucking a 500-year-old trend.  If I'm going to take back any word(s) let it be ones that started with a good meaning that went south like "nice" girl.  Nice doesn't mean boring, dull or socially inept.  It means pleasant to be around, thoughtful and considerate of others.

I agree that scantily clad or suggestively clothed women do not overtly "ask for it," but let's get real here.   Sometimes we can inadvertently set ourselves up to be a victim.  Isn't that why we (both men and women) lock our cars and houses?  Tell our kids not to talk to or get into cars with strangers?  Stay away from an "iffy" part of town after dark?  Keep our currency, credit cards and passports close to our bodies while on vacation? Put our money in a bank and not on the front porch? 

Our mannerisms, including our manner of dress, is our calling card.  It's the world's first contact with us, and while we can't judge a book by a cover, that kind of judging unfortunately happens all the time.  So what message is being sent by a young woman who dresses in a manner that is traditionally and generically ascribed to a slut?   Does a man stop and ponder her terrific moral character or is he distracted by the "advertising?"  And the best way to advertise to a man is through his eyes, which are connected to a brain that we have no overt control over, a brain that goes into sexual fantasy hyper speed when triggered by sexy female images (regardless of the woman's initial intent when getting dressed).  Women may "own" their bodies but they don't "own" men's minds.

Okay, so having said all that ~ I agree that we don't want to blame the victim of sexual assault for "enticing" her attacker.  I do think that we need to be aware of the message we send out to men who are actively looking for "easy" targets or who just happen to get their "juices flowing."  So I think the policeman gave out practical self-defense advice.

As for taking back the word "slut."  No thank you!  Call me beloved, cherished, honey and maybe "hot" but don't be calling me slut.