Not a day goes by without a woman paying the price. Shame is everywhere. Just this week, Judith Godrèche’s daughter, Tess Barthélemy, was the victim of her: while she climbed the stairs in Cannes, many internet users criticized her outfit on X of her, with quite a few sexist jokes. Some even joked about the morbid fate that, according to them, awaited her because of her cleavage. “In 25 years she will also complain about being beaten against her will”we read for example in one of the denigrating comments detected by the media Fresh.
Enough with the putophobic insults
Often translated into French as “ putophobia “, “slut shaming” is the contraction of the words “ slut ” AND ” shame “. According to the website of the Conseil du statut de la femme, a Quebec government body, the expression implies a pejorative and patriarchal stigmatization of “ any woman whose attitude, behavior or physical appearance is considered provocative, too sexual or immoral “. This stigma, and the putophobic slurs that come with it, are revealing on several levels. On the one hand about the way sex workers are perceived (and marginalized), but also about the misogynistic social injunctions that are imposed on women’s sexuality .
Putophobia designates both a process of misogynistic denigration, which subtly reproaches women for having a free sexuality that does not belong to a man, but also – and above all – a lever for the marginalization and precariousness of sex workers.
Whorephobia kills
The English term shame on the slut was popularized in 2011 by two Canadian feminists, Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis, during feminist protests launched following a Toronto police officer’s statement advising women to “not dress like sluts” so as not to be raped.
Very early on, girls are taught that “respectable” women are those whose body count is lower (or even non-existent), while women who have multiple partners do not deserve respect. This dichotomy is one found in the antiquated myth of the mother (or virgin) and the prostitute. Since female sexuality could only belong to one or the other, and it says a lot about the virtues of each.
In addition to the pseudo-moral observations on sexuality considered unbridled and the terrible impact that putophobic prejudices have on the daily life of TDS, putophobia takes very different forms, which can reach up to cyber harassment, revenge porn, sexual violence, or even suicide or femicide. Taxed by "easy girl" Having been gang raped, Shaïna, 15, was stabbed and burned by her boyfriend in 2019.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
