Women’s sexual decisions and outfit choices are often scrutinized, but those criticisms should be redirected toward the individuals who shame them.

Syracuse University’s Division of Student Affairs released a progress report Tuesday that details efforts the university has made in order to prevent sexual violence. The report makes it clear that SU students are an essential part of educating one another on these sensitive topics — and this same ethos extends to the SU students who are organizing a Slut Walk to help change the dialogue surrounding women’s sexuality on campus.

Led by campus groups Femme Noire Magazine, A Men’s Issue and Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment (SASSE), the Thursday demonstration is in protest of the obvious double standard on sexual expression when it comes to gender in coordination with the transnational women’s empowerment movement.

By definition, a “slut” is a woman who behaves promiscuously and dresses in an overly sexual way. Perhaps I missed the memo, but I’m not sure when it became excusable for people to label the behavior or dress of others as “slutty” based on gender. In fact, I can’t remember the last time someone judged a man for wearing khaki shorts that were “too tight.”

Those who shame women need to get one thing straight: it’s OK for women to be in tune with their sexuality. It is not OK to criticize women for doing what they please with their bodies. Even though society shames women — but not men — for their body count, a slut is really just a sexually-empowered woman.

The “SlutWalk” movement began in Toronto after a police officer publicly blamed a victim of sexual assault and said, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” This phrase can only be described as ignorant because rape is not a result of a revealing outfit or an active sex life: it’s the result of our society teaching men that rape is justified because a “slutty outfit” means that she’s asking for it.

And while the word “slut” itself carries a lot of negative weight, the definition describes what all women should be able to do. Some women have chosen to embrace the term and feel that it is synonymous with power and the ability to have sexual freedom. Not every woman has to be sexual and dress in a certain manner, but she should have the option to do so if she pleases without gender-specific criticism.

With demonstrations like SU’s Slut Walk, students can change the culture to create a more welcoming campus environment.

“What makes me think I can have as much sex as I want and that I can tell a woman she can’t,” said Jordan McGriff, vice president of A Men’s Issue and a head of the Slut Walk committee. “The Slut Walk changed my perspective on how I talk and how I talk to women. I’ve gotten exposed to other things and I can say I’ve changed for the better.”

Just last week, students at The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, saw why challenging rules that police body agency is instrumental to peer-driven progress. Students went topless as a form of protest in support of an androgynous student who was sunbathing topless when a police officer approached them and demanded they put a shirt on. Completely disregarding the student’s gender identity, the police officer cited a law that forbids women from going topless in public.

Local institutions are now speaking out against the incident, which is just one of many examples of over sexualization of an individual’s body. In the same way, students at SU are taking a stand against society’s antiquated views of sexuality. Promoting the idea that no one should be shamed for their actions or the way they dress would be a first step toward respect for people’s sexual expression across the board. Movements like the Slut Walk aim to do just that.

“Syracuse (University) is taking those steps and moving toward becoming a safer and more inclusive campus,” said Keturah Raymond, co-founder of Femme Noire Magazine and also a head of the Slut Walk committee. “I feel like this is taking it further and really combating slut-shaming on campus.”

It’s time to remove the negative meaning associated with “slut” and other derogatory, sexual terms. Whether they are deemed promiscuous or prudish, women are never immune to unfair criticisms about their sexual decisions. The sooner we stop criticizing women for being sexual beings and blaming victims, the sooner we can hope to reach true gender equality when it comes to sexuality.

Ivana Pino is a freshman political science major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ivpino@syr.edu.

Published on April 26, 2016 at 12:18 am