View source for Slut

{{short description|Term applied to an individual}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
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'''''Slut''' (archaic: '''slattern''')'' is an [[English-language]] term for a person, usually a woman, who is sexually [[promiscuous]] or considered to have loose [[sexual morals]].<ref name="Slut">{{cite web |title=Slut |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=February 26, 2015 |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/slut}}</ref><ref name="Slut 2">{{cite web |title=Slut |publisher=[[Reference.com]] |access-date=February 26, 2015 |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slut}}</ref> It is predominately used as an [[insult]], [[sexual slur]] or offensive term of disparagement.<ref name="Slut 2"/><ref name="Nathanson">{{cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Nathanson |work=The Village Voice |date=October 2, 2011 |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/slutwalk_rally.php |title=SlutWalk Rally Against Sexual Violence Draws Huge Crowd of Feminists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504171729/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/10/slutwalk_rally.php |archive-date=2012-05-04}}</ref> It originally meant "a dirty, slovenly woman",<ref name="Slut 2"/> and is rarely used to refer to men, generally requiring clarification by use of the terms ''male slut'' or ''[[man whore]]''.<ref name="Paludi">{{cite book |first1=Michele A. |last1=Paludi |first2=Jennifer L. |last2=Martin |first3=James E. |last3=Gruber |first4=Susan |last4=Fineran |title=Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-4408-3294-9 |year=2015 |page=15 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ovpPCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA15}}</ref><ref name="Wood">{{cite book |author=Julia Wood |title=Gendered Lives |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |isbn=978-1-285-07593-8 |year=2014 |page=108 |access-date=December 4, 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vMoTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108}}</ref>

The word was used as early as the late 14th century (in the form of an adjective, ''sluttish'', referring to a {{not a typo|man's}} untidy appearance) by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] in ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]''.{{r|Bennett}}
From the late 20th century, there have been attempts to [[Reappropriation|reclaim]] the word, exemplified by various [[SlutWalk]] parades, and some individuals embrace the title as a source of pride.<ref name="Greer">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/8510743/These-slut-walk-women-are-simply-fighting-for-their-right-to-be-dirty.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514143853/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/8510743/These-slut-walk-women-are-simply-fighting-for-their-right-to-be-dirty.html |url-status=live |archive-date=2011-05-14 |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=Germaine |last=Greer|author-link=Germaine Greer|title=These 'slut walk' women are simply fighting for their right to be dirty |date=2011-05-12}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2022|reason=Opinion essay by activist author; not reliable for facts per WP:RSEDITORIAL}}<ref name="Westcott">{{cite news |last=Westcott |first=Kathryn |date=2011-05-09 |title=Why is the word 'slut' so powerful? |work=[[BBC News Magazine]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13333013}}</ref>

==Etymology, common usages and synonyms==
The common [[denotative meaning]]s of ''slut'' are 'sexually promiscuous woman',<ref name="Slut"/> or 'immoral or dissolute woman; prostitute'.<ref name="Slut 2"/> These definitions identify a slut as a woman of low character—a person who lacks the ability or chooses not to exercise a power of discernment to order her affairs. Similar terms used for men are ''cad'', ''[[rake (character)|rake]]'', ''male slut'', ''man whore'', ''[[himbo]]'', ''womanizer'', ''[[Stud (sexual slang)|stud]]'', and ''player''.<ref name="Paludi"/><ref name="Wood"/> The adjective ''slutty'' carries a similar connotation, but can be applied both to people and to clothing and accessories, such as [[Halloween costume]]s.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Caitlin |title=What's the deal with slutty Halloween costumes? |url=http://www.gwhatchet.com/2005/10/31/whats-the-deal-with-slutty-halloween-costumes/ |work=[[The GW Hatchet]] (student newspaper) |publisher=[[George Washington University]] |date=31 October 2005 |access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref>

Although the ultimate origin of the word ''slut'' is unknown, it first appeared in [[Middle English]] in 1402 as {{Lang|enm|slutte}} ([[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|AHD]]), with the meaning of 'dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman'.<ref name="etymonline-slut">{{OEtymD|slut}}</ref> Even earlier, [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] used the word ''sluttish'' ({{circa|1386}}) to describe a slovenly man;<ref name="Tanenbaum">{{cite web |last1=Tanenbaum |first1=Leora |title=A Brief History Of 'Slut' |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-does-slut-mean-anyway_b_6594124 |website=HuffPost |access-date=17 January 2020 |language=en |date=2 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bennett">{{cite magazine |last1=Bennett |first1=Jessica |title=Monica Lewinsky and Why the Word Slut Is Still So Potent |url=https://time.com/3752821/monica-lewinsky-ted2015-slut-play/ |url-access=limited |magazine=Time |access-date=17 January 2020 |language=en |date=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="Manciple">{{cite web |title=From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Manciple's Tale, lines 139-154 |url=http://www.librarius.com/canttran/manctale/manctale139-154.htm |website=www.librarius.com |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="Yeoman's Prologue">{{cite web |title=The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue. The Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer. 1894. The Complete Poetical Works |url=https://www.bartleby.com/258/44.html |website=www.bartleby.com |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref> however, later uses appear almost exclusively associated with women.<ref name="etymonline-slut"/> The modern sense of 'sexually promiscuous woman' dates to at least 1450.<ref name="etymonline-slut"/>  The word was originally used around 1450 in the late Middle English language. It was used to describe a woman as dirty, or refer to her as a prostitute, harlot, or immoral woman.  The word ''slut'' also took a similar form around the same era in the Norwegian language as {{lang|no|slutr}} 'sleet', also known as an impure liquor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slut |title=the definition of slut}}</ref>

Another early meaning was 'kitchen maid or drudge' ({{circa|1450}}), a meaning retained as late as the 18th century, when hard knots of dough found in bread were referred to as ''slut's pennies''.<ref name="etymonline-slut"/> An example of this use is [[Samuel Pepys]]'s diary description of his servant girl as "an admirable slut" who "pleases us mightily, doing more service than both the others and deserves wages better" (February 1664).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pepys.info/1664/1664feb.html |title=Samuel Pepys Diary February 1664 complete |publisher=Pepys.info |access-date=2012-08-27 |archive-date=1 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101012755/http://www.pepys.info/1664/1664feb.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Slut'' and ''slutishness'' occur in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s comedy ''[[As You Like It]]'', written in 1599 or 1600.<ref>Shakespeare, William. ''[[As You Like It]]'' (III, iii, 1531–1537). "[Audrey:] Well, I am not fair; and therefore I pray the gods make me / honest. / [Touchstone:] Truly, and to cast away honesty upon a foul slut were / to put good meat into an unclean dish. / [Audrey:] I am not a slut, though I thank the gods I am foul. / [Touchstone:] Well, praised be the gods for thy foulness; / sluttishness may come hereafter.&nbsp;..."</ref> In the nineteenth century, the word was used as a [[euphemism]] in place of ''bitch'' in the sense of a female dog.<ref name="etymonline-slut"/><ref name="Soule">{{cite book |last=Soule |first=Richard |editor-last=Howison |editor-first=George H. |title=A dictionary of English synonymes and synonymous or parallel expressions designed as a practical guide to aptness and variety of phraseology |publisher=Little, Brown |location=Boston |year=1900 |edition=revised and enlarged |oclc=7437533 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofengl00souluoft/page/49/mode/1up |page=49}}</ref>

Today, the term ''slut'' has a pervasive presence in popular culture and [[pornography]], but is almost exclusively used to describe women. An exact male equivalent of the term does not exist. The lack of a comparably popular term for men highlights the [[double standard]] in societal expectations ([[gender role]]s) between males and females, as negative terms for sexually promiscuous males are rare.<ref name="Wood"/><ref name="Sigal">{{cite book |last1=Sigal |first1=Janet A. |last2=Denmark |first2=Florence L. |author-link2=Florence Denmark |title=Violence against girls and women: international perspectives |publisher=Praeger |location=Santa Barbara, Calif |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4408-0335-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/violenceagainstg0001unse/mode/1up |url-access=registration}}{{Page needed|date=January 2022}}</ref> Out of the 220 terms ascribed to females and 20 terms ascribed to males,<ref name="Paludi"/> all female terms are disapproving while some male terms signal approval or praise; these include ''stud'', ''player'', and ''man whore''.<ref name="Wood"/> While colloquial terms such as ''male slut'' or ''man whore'' are used in popular culture, they are usually used in a joking manner.<ref name=":0" /> There are, however, other terms that can be used to criticize men for their sexuality. For example, a man's masculinity can be undermined by using terms such as ''weak'', ''[[sissy]]'', ''[[pussy]],'' or ''whipped.'' They also dismiss female-on-male abuse, and are just as powerful and representative of modern societal prejudices. Hence, women may find it difficult to hold high positions at their workplace, whereas men may be mocked for choosing to be stay-at-home fathers. Although a sexually active and professionally successful woman might be seen as a threat, a man without those qualities is often regarded with suspicion and questions about his sexuality.<ref name="Devon">{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11159850/Is-there-a-male-equivalent-to-calling-a-woman-a-slut.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11159850/Is-there-a-male-equivalent-to-calling-a-woman-a-slut.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Is there a male equivalent to calling a woman a 'slut'? |last=Devon |first=Natasha |date=15 October 2014 |access-date=2 December 2016 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The word ''slut'' is commonly interchanged with the words ''[[Tramp#Meaning promiscuous woman|tramp]]'', ''whore'', ''hoe'', ''[[nympho]]'', and ''hooker.'' All of these words have a very negative connotation. Additional meanings and connotations of the term are negative and identify a slut as being a slovenly and ugly person, for example, as in these quotations from [[Oxford English Dictionary|OED2]]:

{{quote|Hearne, 1715: "Nor was she a Woman of any Beauty, but was a nasty Slut."}}
{{quote|[[William Shenstone|Shenstone]], 1765: "She's ugly, she's old, ...&nbsp;And a slut, and a scold."}}

The attack on the character of the person is perhaps best brought together by the highly suggestive and related compound word, ''slut's-hole'', meaning a place or receptacle for rubbish;<ref>{{Cite OED |term=slut's-hole |id=22331849 |url=}}</ref> the associated quote provides a sense of this original meaning:

{{quote|''[[Saturday Review (London)]]'', 1862: "There are a good many slut-holes in London to rake out."}}

''Slut'' can also be used as verb to denote behavior characterized as that of a slut. For example, in the 1972 play, ''[[That Championship Season]]'', by [[Jason Miller (playwright)|Jason Miller]], contained the exchange:

{{quote|<poem>COACH: I don't care what that hot pantsed bitch said. Go home and kick her ass all over the kitchen. All that slutting around...
GEORGE. She's not a slut...
COACH. She was punished for slutting, wasn't she? She was punished and so were you!<ref>[[Jason Miller (playwright)|Jason Miller]], ''[[That Championship Season]]'' (1972), p. 43.</ref></poem>}}

== Alternative usages and culture ==

=== General ===

{{See also|Slut-shaming}}
[[File:SlutWalk NYC October 2011 Shankbone 25.JPG|alt=A group of people walk in a demonstration (a [[SlutWalk]]) in [[New York City]]; many of them carry signs with slogans relating to and condemning sexual assault and discussing public perceptions thereof|thumb|There have been various efforts to both criticise and reclaim use of the word ''slut''.]]
The word ''slut'' is used as a slang term in the [[BDSM]], [[polyamory|polyamorous]], and [[LGBT|gay and bisexual]] communities.<ref name="Easton">{{cite book |last1=Easton |first1=Dossie |last2=Liszt |first2=Catherine A. |title=The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities |year=1997 |publisher=Greenery Press |location=San Francisco |isbn=1-890159-01-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/ethicalslut00doss/mode/1up |url-access=registration}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2022}}{{clarify|date=May 2025|reason=Slang for what, precisely?}} A parallel exists between the female term ''slut'' and the term ''[[gay]]'' for males. Unlike women, who are usually policed for being sexually promiscuous, men are often criticized for not being masculine or dominant enough, thus questioning their [[heterosexuality]]. Unlike women, who are expected to be sexually chaste, men are expected to be sexually active, thus having more sexual freedom.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Flood |first=Michael |year=2013 |title=Male and Female Sluts. |url=https://works.bepress.com/michael_flood/25/download/ |journal=Australian Feminist Studies |volume=28 |issue=75 |pages=95–107 |via=[[Taylor & Francis]] Online |doi=10.1080/08164649.2012.758024 |s2cid=54991899 |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-date=6 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706130953/https://works.bepress.com/michael_flood/25/download/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although ''slut'' is rarely used to describe heterosexual men, it is commonly used among gay males. When discussing sexual activity, ''slut'' is used to shame [[gay men]] for taking sexual risks, such as [[unprotected sex]] or having multiple partners. However, if used in a humorous way, ''slut'' may also favor sexual freedom and mark the shift from traditional gender roles in gay men.<ref name="McDavitt">{{cite journal |last1=McDavitt |first1=Bryce |last2=Mutchler |first2=Matt G |title='Dude, you're such a slut!' Barriers and facilitators of sexual communication among young gay men and their best friends. |journal=Journal of Adolescent Research |date=2014 |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=464–498 |pmc=4239541 |pmid=25419044 |doi=10.1177/0743558414528974}}</ref>

With [[BDSM]], polyamorous, and [[non-monogamy|non-monogamous]] people, in usage taken from the book ''[[The Ethical Slut]]'', the term has been used as an expression of choice to openly have multiple [[Domestic partnership|partner]]s, and revel in that choice: "a slut is a person of any gender who has the courage to lead life according to the radical proposition that ''sex is nice and pleasure is good for you''."{{r|Easton|p=4}} A ''slut'' is a person who has taken control of their sexuality and has sex with whomever they choose, regardless of religious or social pressures or conventions to conform to a strait-laced monogamous lifestyle committed to one partner for life.

The term has been [[reappropriated]] to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion may judge or control one's personal liberties, and the right to control one's own sexuality. In April 2013, Emily Lindin, founder of the UnSlut Project, created a blog to share her stories on sexual bullying to "provide some perspective to girls who currently feel trapped and ashamed". The blog now consists of entries from members of all ages, ethnicities, and genders. The film, ''UnSlut: A Documentary Film'', coincides with the project and is screened across the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unslutproject.com/about.html |title=The UnSlut Project |last=Lindin |first=Emily}}</ref>

The double standard associated with slut-labeling is part of the modern day [[rape culture]]. Rape culture is "the casual debasement [of women] ... that has become such a part of our lives that it is often invisible."<ref name="auto789">{{cite web |last1=Breger |first1=Melissa L. |title=Transforming cultural norms of sexual violence against women. |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Transforming+cultural+norms+of+sexual+violence+against+women.-a0397454239 |publisher=Journal of Research in Gender Studies |access-date=10 August 2018 |date=1 July 2014 |via=Free Online Library}}</ref> Though people in society are vocally anti-rape, there is an insinuation that certain types of rape are acceptable or that women are voluntarily taking actions that justify sexual advances. "For example, women continue to be blamed if they are raped because of how they are dressed, the assumption that women purportedly lie about being raped remains popular, and certain women, such as married women or women of colour, are still considered 'unrapeable'".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.rdsinc.com/texis/rds/suite/+_tOeXBniwFqo15nGW_68TFqnh1ccewx1qmMwwwewhanme_9rQeiyowww/showdoc.html?thisTbl=CWI |title=Login Required |website=search.rdsinc.com |access-date=29 January 2018}}</ref>  The word ''slut'' and the double standard it contains reflects the gender norms and gender biases<ref name="auto789"/> that are prevalent in a culture in which rape is constantly justified. People from all sects of society contribute to this justification.<ref name="Mahler">{{cite web |last=Mahler |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/us/politics/sexual-assault-survivor-reaction.html |title=For Many Women, Trump's 'Locker Room Talk' Brings Memories of Abuse |date=11 October 2016 |work=The New York Times |url-access=limited}}</ref>

There have been many movements or "[[SlutWalk]]s" taking place around the world to regain a sense of pride in women. Many slut walks or movements protest against the idea that a woman's appearance, often considered promiscuous, is a justification of sexual assault and rape. The participants in these walks protest against individuals that excuse rape due to the woman's appearance, including [[victim blaming]] and slut shaming; slut walks have now become a worldwide movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slutwalkdc.com/ |title=SlutWalk DC |access-date=3 December 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208141313/http://www.slutwalkdc.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Women of color===
{{Globalize|1=section|2=US|date=September 2020}}
The word ''slut'' means different things to white women and [[people of color]], especially black women. ''Slut'' has different associations for black women. [[Anna North]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' covered [[Leora Tanenbaum]] who stated, "As Black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves 'slut' without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is."<ref name="North">{{cite web |last1=North |first1=Anna |title=Should 'Slut' Be Retired? |url=https://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/should-slut-be-retired/ |work=The New York Times |date=3 February 2015 |department=Op-Talk |url-access=limited}}</ref> She argued that, for black women, the word ''slut'' does not mean anything very harmful due to the history of being treated as slaves in the past. Black women's "relationship to the term ''slut''" is informed by a history of racism and slavery, of "having been seen as objects of property, not just for the sexual gratification of those in power but also for reproduction of whole generations of slaves, which involved rape most of the time."<ref name="North"/>

Most of the SlutWalks were coordinated by white women, and some black women felt uncomfortable when joining. Sociologist [[Jo Reger]] writes: "Women of color ... argued that the white women organizers and participants had not considered the ways in which the sexuality of women of color had been constructed through a history of oppression, rape, and sexual exploitation."<ref name="Reger">{{cite journal |last1=Reger |first1=Jo |title=The Story of a Slut Walk: Sexuality, Race, and Generational Divisions in Contemporary Feminist Activism |journal=Journal of Contemporary Ethnography |date=2015 |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=84–112 |doi=10.1177/0891241614526434}}</ref>{{rp|88}} People of color, especially black people, had been avoiding words like ''slut'', ''jezebel'', ''hottentot'', ''mammy'', ''mule'', ''sapphire'', or ''welfare queens''.{{r|Reger|p=88}}

Model and actress [[Amber Rose]] was one of the first people to conduct and take a lead for a SlutWalk for people of color. "The Amber Rose SlutWalk Festival is a completely inclusive space. This event is a zero tolerance event and we do not condone hateful language, racism, sexism, ableism, fat-shaming, [[transphobia]] or any other kind of bigotry. Further, we recognize that shaming, oppression, assault and violence have disproportionately impacted marginalized groups, including women of color, transgender people and sex workers, and thus we are actively working to center these groups at our events."<ref name="auto">{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Amber |title=The Amber Rose Slutwalk |url=http://amberroseslutwalk.com/general-information/ |website=About the Walk |publisher=Amber Rose |access-date=1 December 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203060548/http://amberroseslutwalk.com/general-information/ |archive-date=3 December 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Human sexuality}}
* [[Polyandry]]
* [[Sexual bullying]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |title=slut |url=http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19971215 |website=The Mavens' Word of the Day |publisher=[[Random House]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616105158/http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19971215 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |date=15 December 1997}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Sexual slang}}

[[Category:Casual sex]]
[[Category:English profanity]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Gender-related stereotypes]]
[[Category:Pejorative terms for women]]
[[Category:Pornography terminology]]
[[Category:Sexual slang]]
[[Category:Slang terms for women]]