“As a woman in the military you can either be a slut or a b****. Choose the latter.” This was the first piece of advice I received after arriving to my unit. If I appeared too friendly or smiled too often-particularly with males, I would be perceived as a “slut”. Someone who flirts (or more) her way to the top than earning it. Better to be a “b****'”- cold and aloof, than have a warm disposition misinterpreted.
The Sociology of Slut Shaming
The practice of slut shaming is not only crude but dangerous. Studies have linked its presence to an increased likelihood of harassment, assault, and victim blaming against women in our formations. Dr. Brian Sweeney, author of The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender defines slut shaming as the “deliberate efforts to discredit people by associating them with sexual deviancy, especially sexual immodesty and promiscuity” (1579). Those commonly affected are young women, even when their male counterparts engage in similar behavior.
‘it won’t happen to me‘
Men and women are equally likely to discredit someone with this bias. However, researchers suggest there is a difference in intent. González-Prats suggests men often slut shame as means of ”punish[ing] the victims for rejecting their advances”. Slut shaming therefore becomes a form of retaliation, when a perceived sense of entitlement to a woman’s body was denied (91).
For women on the other hand, slut shaming is utilized to distance themselves from a stigmatized individual in order to gain a foothold with the male majority (Ringrose). It may also be utilized as a defensive mechanism to lower their own “perceived vulnerability to sexual victimization” through victim blaming (Pinciotti and Orcutt). For example: ‘it won’t happen to me because I don’t act/look like that’. This subconscious behavior needs to be addressed and deprogramed, since slut shaming is highly linked to rape culture.
Slut Shaming Begets Sexual Violence
Frederick and Roberts (1997) correlated objectification of women to higher rates of sexual violence. Rubman and Mescher (2012) expanded on that theory, linking the objectification of women to a man’s predisposition to commit violence. In other words, a sense of entitlement over a woman’s body fostered a climate ripe for sexual harassment, assault, and victim blaming.
‘Dehumanization’
The perception and expression of a woman’s sex is often at the expense of her merit. This is an antiquated ideology that plagues the military. The Fort Hood Independent Review Committee (FHIRC) report is a sobering example of how women have been slut-shamed in our formations this past year alone. Some highlighted examples are: “females are here for our entertainment”; “her NCO openly stated he did not want any females in his unit, but, now that they are here, they are sexual objects and ‘should be at his feet’”.
Slut shaming is dehumanization in that it deems victims unworthy of humane treatment. As military leaders and students of warfare, we discuss the ethical and moral implications of dehumanization when addressing torture, war crimes, and inciting genocide. Yet we fail to address the culture of slut shaming and its role in sexual violence against women.
Slut Shaming and SHARP
The Army implemented annual SHARP training established 15 years ago was an important first step to combatting sexual violence. However, the recent incidents at Fort Hood indicates pitfalls in the SHARP program and leader engagement towards protecting the force.
The current training focuses too narrowly on consent and avoidance of miscommunication. I would argue that the failure to address slut shaming has stunted any chance of meaningful cultural change. The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence and the World Health Organization (WHO) advises that in order to reduce sexual violence in the workplace, we must foster safe spaces to discuss and challenge cultural norms of behavior, language and stereotyping.
Ditching the Dichotomy
There are dire consequences of defaulting women to the slut/b**** dichotomy. Women lose their societal value when resigned to this choice. The more removed and delegitimized they become, the more sexual harassment and assault they will likely experience.
‘Choose the latter’ Choose Neither
The military continues to suffer from sexual assault because the singular emphasis on consent is myopic. There are clear correlations between the language we use and the likelihood of victimization. There needs to be a shift in focus towards the language we allow in our formations regarding women and sex. Until this becomes incorporated we will fail to fix the Army’s problem with sexual harassment and assault.
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Hit that nail on the head!!!!
Thank you so much for the write up.
Send this out as much as you can.