Why ‘Slut' Label Refuses to Die

How sexual stigma impacts both women and men.

December 12, 2012

For women, engaging in casual sex still carries a stigma, and the prospect of being judged dampens their interest in one-night stands.

That’s the key finding of a newly published study that suggests sexual mores remain stubbornly stable. It concludes that, more than a half-century after the introduction of the birth control pill , the sexual double standard is alive and well and still influencing women’s everyday behavior.

The research, published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly, is by three University of Michigan psychologists led by Terri Conley . Last year, she authored a paper that challenged evolutionary psychology’s thesis that women are less interested in casual sex than men. Men have a better chance of passing down their genes to a new generation if they sow their seed widely, according to that widely circulated evolutionary psychology theory , while women’s odds increase if they’re in a stable relationship in which the man helps raise their children. Thus a different set of deep, unconscious impulses lead men to be more promiscuous than women.

In contrast, Conley’s research suggested that, under the right circumstances—that is, when the experience promises to be safe and pleasant—women are just as likely as men to engage in casual sex. Her new paper adds stigma and the prospect of backlash to that equation, and finds they inhibit women’s choices.     READ MORE 

(Please note that today,  "slut" has also become a term of endearment,  meant to signify that "this sex is so good it must be illegal".  Some modern women can be insulted if not called a slut, but only in private,  where it's absence would mean that you did not enjoy the sex.)

Pat Robertson Talks Sandra Fluke's 'Fornication,' Says 'Rush Limbaugh Got A Little Bit Over The Top'

Televangelist Pat Robertson addressed Sandra Fluke's "fornication" and said that "Rush Limbaugh got a little bit over the top" when he referred to Fluke as a "slut" and a "prostitute."

Robertson discussed Fluke's testimony at a Democratic hearing on contraception with Jerry Bell of the American Principles Project on his CBN show "700 Club" on Wednesday. In her testimony, Fluke -- a third-year law student at Georgetown Law, a Jesuit institution -- said her school does not provide contraception coverage in its student health plan and that contraception can cost a woman more than $3,000 during law school.

"[Fluke] said that students needed $3,000 a year for contraception and that they couldn’t afford it," Robertson said. "As I understand, the Catholic school was supposed to pay for it. Now Catholics say that fornication, if you will, sex outside of marriage, is a sin. This woman is saying 'I'm going to be committing sin but I want you to pay for my sin.'"

Bell took his attack on Fluke a step further, insisting that Fluke's mission is part of a part of a 200 year plot to destroy religion & the family.  READ MORE

Offensive Is Nothing New: Rush Limbaugh's 5 Worst Remarks

Limbaugh is losing advertisers fast after calling law student Sandra Fluke a "slut"--but bad behavior is nothing new for Rush. Here are five of his worst moments.

March 6, 2012

Has Rush Limbaugh finally gone too far?

Despite a notably insincere apology for calling Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” for the crime of using birth control pills, Limbaugh is shedding advertisers like mad. As of Monday evening, nine companies—including AOL, the parent company of the Huffington Post-- have stopped buying time on Limbaugh's radio show, and at least a couple say they have severed ties with the program permanently.

Even Republican presidential candidates have issued tepid condemnations of Limbaugh's rant. Mitt Romney, whose private equity firm Bain Capital is one of the owners of Clear Channel – which owns and broadcasts Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates Limbaugh's show -- told reporters, “I’ll just say this, which is, it’s not the language I would have used,” before quickly changing the subject back to Tuesday's primaries. Democrats quickly pounced on Romney's wimpy repudiation, but none of them bothered to point out the presidential candidate's profit motive in Rush's program.  READ MORE

Limbaugh Loses Advertisers After Calling Woman A 'Slut'

Rush Limbaugh

Updated: March 2, 4:37 PM
Rush Limbaugh has found a way to get his name back in the headlines, directing his latest vitriol at Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke, and losing advertisers along the way.

Fluke testified recently at a House hearing on the Obama administration's birth control rule, after she was not allowed to participate in an earlier hearing that featured an all-male panel. Fluke told the story of a fellow law student who needed the birth control pill in order to deal with a medical condition. The friend ended up losing an ovary because she couldn't afford contraception without insurance.

True to form, Limbaugh responded to Fluke's testimony by calling her a "slut" and a "prostitute." And a few of his sponsors aren't happy about it. In the wake of criticism, Sleep Train Mattress Centers is pulling its ads from the radio show. "Thank you for your concern. We are currently pulling all our ads with Rush Limbaugh," the company tweeted....  READ MORE