The ‘Slut’ and the ‘Badass’
The terms ‘slut’ and ‘badass’ are regularly heard in parlance today. Perhaps been so for a few decades at least. The term slut is used to identify a woman who is considered promiscuous and a badass is a man who does anything from being promiscuous to speeding to smoking to dabbling in drugs. Yet the woman is looked down upon for being a slut whereas the man is exalted or admired for being a badass.
The term slut is used by men and women both and most often, in anger, as an insult or to mock or belittle someone. No one is saying ‘Oh wow, you’re a slut. Give me a high five sister’. That does not happen. Whereas the badass would be given grudging admiration from men and women alike. “Totally badass bro”. And of course badass is excused coz hey, he’s a badass. There are rare times when women would be called badass and that would be again coz she pushed some boundary she was expected to maintain – ‘She swears like a badass’, ‘She’s a badass drive’ etc. But badass is predominantly male. And it’s a compliment. To be called a slut is not a compliment.
Why the double standards? If a man is admired for being promiscuous and for nurturing addictions like smoking, why is a woman a slut if she has sex with multiple partners? This is a global phenomenon. I want to quote Lady Gaga on her response to a sexist interviewer asking about her lyrics,
“I’m not scared… Are you scared?
You see, if I was a guy and I was sitting here with a cigarette in my hands grabbing my crotch talking about how I make music because I like fast cars and f**king girls, you’d call me a rock star.
But when I do it in my music and video because I’m a female and I make pop music, you’re judgemental and say it’s distracting. I’m just a rock star…” – Lady Gaga, 2009
Lady Gaga is quite badass for saying this. Coz she calls out the problem we have with gender stereotypes and perceptions. And slut and badass are just words symptomatic of this bias we all have. So next time, consider calling a man a slut for being promiscuous. Or gigolo. Whichever works. See how much he likes it. And think twice about calling a woman a slut for what you may be guilty of –enjoying a natural urge. Call her badass instead. See how that changes how you think.
