Women Facing Sexual Double Standards
Since human civilization began, society has discriminated against women solely for the fact that they are women. Whether it is prohibiting women an education, a voice in government, or a feeling of security in their own skin, women are often seen in a different light than men. The issue of women's equality has sparked many debates amongst feminists about the sexual double standard and how a man is praised for showing off his sexuality while women are criticized, because a woman's sexuality is seen as something that needs to be kept virginal and protected from a man's aggressiveness. In current times, these double standards have taken to the media and have found new ways to display a woman's sexuality in a negative way. The victimization of females through social media and in the outside world show that women are targeted through double standards more than men.
The sexual double standards of a woman's sexuality is pushed upon females in their everyday lives when they are constantly being judged by their bodies or being cat-called when they walk out in public, even if they're wearing a perfectly appropriate outfit. The double standards towards a woman's sexuality has started a form of shaming throughout society known as 'slut-shaming'. The word 'slut' is very often used by people to describe a woman's behavior or general appearance. According to Jessica Valenti in her book He's a Stud, She's a Slut, "the word 'slut' can be applied to any activity a woman does that doesn't involve praying, knitting, or sitting perfectly still" (14). Women can be called sluts for the purpose of almost anything having to do with their sexuality, such as the way they dress, the people they get involved with, their personal image and even parts of life that they can't control such as growing and developing. This shows that the sexual double standard is placed more on women since men never get shamed for going about their activities or for their bodies developing. However "despite the ubiquity of 'slut,' where you won't hear it is in relation to men" (Valenti 15). When it comes to their sexuality, men are judged differently than women. If a woman is seen wearing undergarments, she is shamed and stigmatized. If a man, however, was seen in only his undergarments, he is given praise and compliments on his appearance. Men never get stigmatized for showing off their sexuality, which shows the double standard that a women's sexuality is more explicit. This encourages men to be more open with their sexuality, while women feel the need to cover it up. (Ringrose et al. 13) Basically, society judges men differently when it comes to their bodies. Males are seen in a positive way when it comes to their sexuality, unlike women who's sexuality is displayed in a negatively (Valenti 15). Many teenage boys are seen as 'cool' if he is said to be with a lot of girls, but once the tables turn and girls are said to be with a lot of boys, they are constantly shamed for their similar behavior. Even through photographic media, the sexual double standard is placed on women. Teenage girls are pressured by their male peers to send sexually explicit photos of themselves. If they abstain, they are 'prudes' but if they comply, their peers call them sluts. Even the boys who pressure the girls deem the sender as sluts while at the same time, the boy is getting praise from his peers for acquiring the photo (Ringrose et al. 12). This sexual double standard against women's sexuality has created unfair treatment and 'slut-shaming' towards females and praise towards males, showing that women are targeted more through these double standards than men.
Women face victimization about their sexuality constantly in school or in a workplace. Most of the time, it is through forms of emotional bullying. A victim of these forms of victimization, Leora Tanenbaum states in her book I Am Not a Slut, "a survey conducted by the American Association of University Women found that three-fourths of girls grades eight to eleven nationwide were sexually harassed in school through name calling, jokes, gestures and looks" (17). This shows that women are more often harassed than boys because of their sexuality, which displays the sexual double standard against a woman's sexuality. Since girls prefer to bully each other through forms of indirect bullying, studies show that girls are fifteen percent more likely to be victimized by rumors than boys and ten percent more likely to be victimized by lies (Snell and Englander 4). Other forms of these indirect methods of bullying would be friendship betrayals, or ignoring each other. However, a study conducted involving many teenage girls show that name calling was reported to be the most common form of bullying. A variety of unkind words are used between females such as 'fat,' 'ugly,' 'slut,' and other derogatory names (Burgess-Proctor, Hinduja, and Patching 2). The indirect forms of bullying amongst girls are usually driven by an act that women would deem shameful and therefore lead to the shaming and the victimization of the woman. With these sexual double standards, people are given a reason to victimize women for being a 'slut' through rumors and lies, which make women feel like they must keep their sexuality in check while men are free to do whatever they want.
Victimizing women has been a recurring problem in society throughout the years. However, with the use of technology becoming more common amongst young people in this new generation, women are now being stigmatized on a new platform: social media. With the pictures they post and the comments they write, woman create a personal online image of themselves and put themselves at risk of being publicly shamed on their social media accounts. Today, people use social media to "share explicit photos and videos to shame these women and girls among their peers" ("Online Shaming"). Again, girls are shaming their peers and deeming them sluts, for the reason of being a bit more open with their sexuality than usual. According to Tanenbaum, instead of just hearing it in the school hallways or in the lunchroom, the word 'slut' is seen frequently in social media comments (32). This online shaming leads to the issue of cyber bullying amongst teenagers. With technology and social media, bullying others is easier, faster and there's less worry of being punished since anyone can be an anonymous bully. In a study done by the Cyberbullying Research Center, thirty eight percent of of the 3,141 girls interviews have reported being bullied online (Burgess-Proctor, Hinduja, and Patching 1). Another study compared the percentage of boy online victims to girl online victims and found that sixty one percent of the victims were females while only thirty nine percent of the victims were males (Snell and Englander 3). Statistics clearly show that girls are more involved with cyberbullying as victims of shaming and rumors. Since girls are shown to be victimized on social media more often than boys, the sexual double standard is displayed since most of the bullying starts with girls being labeled as 'sluts' because of their behavior that goes against society's expectations of a woman and her sexuality. However girls are also identified to be the perpetrators of cyberbullying. A survey was done by Bridgewater University on the issue of cyberbullying stating "seventy two percent of respondents characterized cyber bullies as predominantly female." Even when asked, twenty seven percent of girls admitted to cyberbullying their peers (Snell and Englander 3). Since girls normally bully each other through indirect bullying, the use of social media is consistent with these methods and with the fact that girls are online more often for social purposes than boys, who normally go online for gaming. (Snell and Englander 6). Though the sexual double standard is shown to target women, most girls use social media to push it upon each other because these double standards have caused girls to believe their sexuality should be kept hidden. Cyberbullying is a big problem amongst teenage girls, but it has turned into a bigger issue when cyberbullying becomes online harassment. Online harassment of women is hardly a new problem and is very common today. A survey done on college freshman found that forty two percent of the girls asked "reported having been 'harassed, bullied, stalked, or threatened via instant messaging'" (qtd. in Englander, 2006). A study done by Bridgewater University found that twenty seven percent of girls have reported being harassed on Facebook, twenty four percent have been victimized by lies on their profile and ten percent of girls have had a fake derogatory profile created about them. (Snell and Englander 4). Harassment of women online is different from being cat-called on the streets. Using the Internet, harassing is more efficient and personal. It is easier to find a woman and constantly harass her through the use of social media ("Harassment of Women"). The use of the Internet and social media has created a more efficient way to shame and harass women. The use of photos and social media comments to shame women have made the problem more personal to the victim and the forms of traditional bullying done by girls correlate to cyberbullying. This shows that girls are more involved with victimization online and 'slut-shaming' through the media as victims and perpetrators, which displays the sexual double standard targets female sexuality.
Another form of media used to shame women for their sexuality is sexting. Technology and social media have made it easier for people to spread sexual content to their peers. According to Tanenbaum, the Internet also makes it easier for women to "project and circulate a sexually sophisticated identity" (30). Based on the pictures they post, women can create a sexual image of themselves on social media and it's as simple as taking an inappropriate picture and sending it to someone else. Through technology and sexting, the sexual double standards are reinforced onto women. Most times, boys ask girls to send sexual pictures to them and then later show it to his friends expecting to get praise. But from the girls point of view, once the pictures are out, she is at risk of victimization and bullying. A study found that twenty seven percent of girls have been bullied into sexting (Snell and Englander 5). Even though boys pressure girls into sending sexually explicit photos to them, the girl is deemed the 'slut' while the boy is seen as 'cool' amongst his peers. Even the boys themselves say the girl is a slut for complying (Ringrose et al. 12). On the other hand, if the girl refuses, she is called a prude. According to authors Ringrose, Harvey, Gill and Livingstone, society calls upon women to produce sexual content of themselves and yet face the risk of being labeled shameful if they do (1). Slut shaming women for producing and sending images that they were forced into leads to strict moral boundaries around girls and their sexuality, but not boys. According to researchers, "the idea that self sexualizing through sexting images puts girls at moral risk of exploitation works through the age-old double standard that not only positions girls' sexuality as something pure and at risk of contamination, but also positions girls as responsible for protecting their virginal body from hard-wire, aggressive male sexuality" (Ringrose et al. 3). Blaming women for the sexual content they were pressured into producing proves that the women are targeted more through sexual double standards, since the men involved in the situation almost never receive blame and instead, gain social status amongst his peers.
Through the victimization of women in the outside world and through the new technological world of social media, it is shown that women are targeted through double standards more than men are. Women are always put at blame for their sexuality and are shamed if they show it off while men on the other hand, show off their sexuality or exploit a woman and receive positive feedback from their peers. Society believes that aggressiveness with their sexuality is normal for a man and shows successful masculinity, but for women it is a way to earn the reputation of a 'slut.' Now the double standards have taken to the media as a newer, easier and faster way to be reinforced. Feminists have been fighting against these double standards and the only way to eradicate them is to keep fighting for women's equality until society believes that a man's sexuality is nothing more or less than a woman's and that no matter what gender a person is, everyone is equal.