Slut!

by Leora Tanenbaum

Book Overview

Girls may be called sluts for any number of reasons, including being outsiders, early developers, victims of rape, targets of others' revenge. Often the labels has nothing to do with sex -- the girls simply do not fit in. An important account of the lives of these young women, Slut weaves together powerful oral histories of girls and women who finally overcame their sexual labels with a cogent analysis of the underlying problem of sexual stereotyping.

Author...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060957409
• ISBN13: 9780060957407
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

To those who have never experienced this phenomenon...

It seems that there are some who have given reviews that have not responded well to this book, and they seem to be rather confused and removed from the argument--citing that those who don't want to be called "sluts" shouldn't behave like "sluts". Almost every woman I've met, myself included, has been through a time, almost a rite of passage, where she has to prove her chastity to the rest of the world (usually shortly after puberty). This is not something that men have to go through--and more importantly, *will never relate to* due to current power structures. Men are pressured, encouraged, and even harassed into being sluts because this is what it is to be manly. This book is not about not wanting to be called a slut. It explores the phenomenon of the slut. Why is female chastity such a perceived virtue in Western (specifically American) culture? Why is there such a preoccupation among high-schoolers with others' sexuality? What is it that we fear about female sexuality? Michel Foucault discusses self-policing in "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison"--something that we women are brainwashed into doing. Why do we participate in this? We will be (and are) rejected and treated badly if we do anything that remotely suggests we are outside the "chaste box"--i.e., reject current social norms regarding the phenomenon of the slut. "Slut!" explores these issues. I hope this clarifies some of the questions (or outright rejections) that seem to have been raised. To anyone interested in the sociology of power issues and the discourses of the body, I would highly recommend "Discipline and Punish". It can be a bit dry, but the ideas expressed are certainly worth the read. Also highly recommended: "The Technology of Orgasm: 'Hysteria', the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction." by Rachel P. Maines.

"Books for Social Workers"

Social work professionals working with adolescents will most likely find themselves facilitating discussion, designing a program, teaching a class, or providing counseling around the issues of teen sexuality. Adolescent attitudes about sex, sexual practices and perceived sexual practices; peer conflict and conformity practices; and teen alienation of "outsiders" are topics which social workers must be knowledgeable of, and, more importantly, able to discuss with teens: freely, objectively, and without prejudice.One's own prejudices are called into question immediately upon picking up Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation, by Leora Tanenbaum (2000). The title, as "in your face" asgraffiti on a bathroom wall, is perfect: to be considered a "slut," with all its negative sexual connotations, generally has little to do with actual sexual practices, and everything to do with sexual stereotyping and gender roles. "Slut" is a term that has absolute power only for girls, never for boys-- it's used not only to condemn and restrict the sexual girl, but to structure the social realm of girls' adolescence and create insider and outsider status. Additionally, "ho," "slut," "freak," "skeeze," and all the other terms used to put down girls by other females and teenage boys serve to reinforce the paradox of teenage sexuality: sex is everywhere, everyone is doing it, you should be doing it, did youdo it? Why did you do that!!?? Or: if all the girls around you are "nice girls", and only a couple of "sluts," then who are all these boys having sex with? The fear of being branded a sexual female is directly related to the dueling religious and historical concepts of woman as either pure, good, virginal, and eternally unspoiled (Mary; PrincessKitty; Melanie Wilkes), or earthy, evil, scandalous and sexual (Eve; Anna Karenina; Scarlett O'Hara). Tanenbaum summarizes the history of female sexuality, culminating in a discussion of theimpact of the feminist movement of the 1960's and 70's on female sexuality, and the subsequent retreat and backlash from that movement.The ongoing split of female sexuality into one of the two categories, with the attendant moral associations, continues, with ever more disparate images thrust at young women from movies, television, and magazines. Even this book, with its brightly colored cover shouting "Slut!" provoked a number of eyebrow raisings and pointed questions: I can't say I would have been reading this book in public 11 years ago as a high school senior, for fear of association. It is just that fear of association which is then used as a method of controlling female sexuality -- and girls' behavior in general -- is one of the major causes of slut-bashing, as noted by the author.Within the realm of girls, "slut-bashing" is a form of control. Again, "sluttiness" is rarely about actual sexual behavior; generally it's related to a girl breaking the mores of her peer group, whether inadvertently or intentionally, and her s

Every woman or girl should read this book!

This book was a gift to me for my unbridal shower. Yes, I celebrated my re-entry into single life with an unbridled un-bridal shower! I put it on my gift-list as a side thought and I am so glad it was selected! I had no idea how powerful it would be to me nor could I have imagined how healing reading it would be. Leora Tanenbaum explores the many reasons in depth that girls pick up this title and the effects it has on on the girl and her peers. Through all of the reasons, one thing remains constant, no woman deserves this title, not the virgins and not the ones who have played around. Not when men are praised for their sexual escapades. The author does not demand that everyone accept promiscuity in women if that is against their personal ethics, rather she insists that the ethics be applies equally to men as they are to women. A fascinating point in this book is that women's sexuality is a common target when she does not fit in to social "norms" for whatever reason, reguardless of her sexual experiences or lack of. Another issue brought to light is that once labeled a slut, a woman suddenly find herself being treated as though she is subhuman and is often subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual assault while no one will attempt to stop it or punish the offenders. If you have ever been called a slut, known someone who has, lived in fear of being called a slut, or called someone else a slut, read this book! I would bet money if you bought this for the women you love, (once they get over the shock LOL) they will love you for it.

a riveting read - close to heart

I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and I hope that I will be able to pass it onto my daughters. Or rather, I hope my daughters will not be in a society that encourages the sexual double standard and punishes young women for natural feelings.The book is non-fiction, and the author interviewed many women and girls about their experiences. Some of the book is quite academic, quoting from various studies and going over the history of this kind of behaviour. Other parts are retellings of people's experiences, and analyses of those.Reading this book brought back many memories and emotions. I realized that my experience as a teenager was not unique. I had already done my own thinking, but it was great to read that someone else had come to the same conclusions. That there still is a sexual double standard, despite the sexual revolution, and that women are punished by both men and women for having sexual urges. One redeeming factor was that she definitely doesn't place all the blame for the harassment on teenage boys. She talks a lot about competitiveness between girls and how the girls are usually worse to each other. Kinda like the person who seems most homophobic is the gay one? Yeah, like that. And also about how often the adults don't report it, or stop it, or ignore complaints because they see it as correct behaviour that keeps girls in line even as it is damaging their self-esteem forever.It's amazing, the more people I talk to about it, the more people bring up their own experiences. Everyone knows someone who experienced the phenomena, or they went through it themselves. Even so-called "good girls" will be able to relate to the book in that the ways in which they constrained themselves.It's about time someone wrote a book about this.