Christin R. (raksha38) reviewed Slut : Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation on + 203 more book reviews
This was an excellent book. It very clearly lays out the double standard by which girls' sexuality is judged so much more harshly than boys'. More than that, it shows that the "slut" label isn't even dependent on a girl's actual sexual behavior, as it's really more of a weapon used against any girl who doesn't fit into some standard of femininity or other expected behavior. The author does a good job of showing how damaging this kind of treatment is to girls and how it can affect them negatively for the rest of their lives. She also shows how slut bashing can even be harmful to those girls who are lucky enough to escape being labled "sluts" themselves as well as boys. She also lays out some good suggestions for combating this kind of harrassmen of girls.
I especially appreciated the way the author incorporated her interviews of girls and women who'd been labeled "sluts" into the book. She used anecdotes or quotes from them to illustrate points she was making and then would include long narratives told by the girls and women themselves. This way, they got to express their experiences in their own words and express their own feelings and interpretations for themselves without any framework being imposed on them by the author. It gives "sluts" their own voice, which is important since so much of this book emphasized how slut bashing serves to silence girls.
I especially appreciated the way the author incorporated her interviews of girls and women who'd been labeled "sluts" into the book. She used anecdotes or quotes from them to illustrate points she was making and then would include long narratives told by the girls and women themselves. This way, they got to express their experiences in their own words and express their own feelings and interpretations for themselves without any framework being imposed on them by the author. It gives "sluts" their own voice, which is important since so much of this book emphasized how slut bashing serves to silence girls.
Sociological study of reactions to the behavior of girls. Very interesting insights into the social world of teens and life-long implications.
Slut! Growing up female with a bad reputation is an exploration behind the common practice of 'slut-bashing.' Leora Tanenbaum, labeled a slut herself in high school, intersperses the stories of her interviewees with a critique of what she sees as sexual double standards and sexual harassment. Though somewhat dated (it's been a while since I've seen Jenny Jones mentioned), this subject has become more relevant in the age of technology-enabled bullying. Most girls get called sluts or worse to be marked as different, often most viciously by other girls, but some actually become liberated by the label. Although the stories become a bit repetitive towards the end, Tanenbaum provides a nuanced look at this issue.
