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How Hillary Clinton As President Could Put An End To Slut-Shaming

by Macie Berlin

What is a political campaign without a little controversy?

If the people of the US saw eye-to-eye on everything, no one would even know how to exist. If you can make it into multiple "SNL" skits, a plethora of memes and elicit erroneous accusations based on scattered allegations, you are likely saying all of the right things within your political agenda.

Hillary Rodham Clinton certainly fits the bill, and I, for one, am excited to see this powerful woman step up to the plate with fearlessness, as the fastest and cruelest of pitches are thrown at her.

This is a Democratic candidate for the Presidency of 2016. This is someone who has served as a Senator, Secretary of State and, of course, the First Lady.

Not only is she educated, ambitious and forthcoming, but Hillary Clinton is also the representation that a certain, often overlooked, population in the US needs.

I'm talking about the sluts. That's right; it doesn't mean she is one, but rather, she represents the idea of the term.

Hillary Clinton is, perhaps, the best chance this nation has to properly decipher, defend and represent the shameful, over-sexed villains that trickle across our boyfriends, husbands and hallways every day.

That's what sluts are, aren't they?

With a label so easily and sloppily thrown at people for reasons that range from finding a successful career to getting asked out on a date, the word has come to mean whatever negative connotation the person using it wants it to mean.

Unfortunately, being cast as a slut, regardless of the reasoning, can often last a lifetime.

Clinton knows all about this. The scandal during President Bill Clinton's presidency has never gone away. Just ask Monica Lewinsky.

To our slut-shaming nation, Lewinsky will always be the woman wiping her lips.

We don't care about her political accolades, her previous endeavors or even her interests. We care about her body weight, her bedroom behavior and her mistake that lives in longevity.

We say "slut" because we know it hurts. At a time in Hillary Clinton's life, this word may have even been justified for slipping through her lips; however, she did not choose to use it.

She endured the unwavering and hilarious jokes involving her and the other scandal-suitors, and then she did something our own, general population of sluts often feels unable to do: She stood up for other women.

Clinton does not represent one scandal. She does not represent prude bedroom behavior or a washed-up First Lady. She doesn't represent falling victim to sluts and slut-shaming.

Clinton represents the miscast labels, names and insults that tear so many people, especially women, apart in this country.

She stands for a pursuit of success, despite these nagging issues that pelt self-confidence.

She lights up hope as the next President of the United States, even though late-night television is still talking about her sex drive.

Imagine if all sluts took this approach. Those of us who have worn this title, whether self-imposed or by others, know the sting well. It is harsh and unforgiving, and it seemingly does not go away until it is able to be thrown over another unsuspecting person.

Being a slut is like being the drunkest at the party; as soon as someone is worse off than you are, you're the first person to point it out and rid yourself of the label.

Yet, both of you are still in a compromising state of being.

Hillary Clinton boldly breaks this cycle. She fights for rights, speaks up and moves forward regardless of the words and names thrown at her.

She does not turn around and toss those insults at anyone else.

What if, instead of beating each other down, we united? What if, instead of the 78 percent of women under the age of 18 who hate their bodies, we became a nation led by a woman whose own bodies knows the scrutiny well, and we all started to talk about it?

What if we stopped passing labels around like “slut,” “whore” and “bitch” to other women, and instead, we started to participate in a political era where the glass ceiling is being tapped harder than ever before?

What if we stopped believing we are defined by miscast labels, and instead, we started believing in the power of our brains, ideas and rights?

"Slut" no longer stands for a specific person in our nation. Slut-shaming is full of prudes, thoughts and opponents. Slut describes clothing, body shape and social interests.

We, unfortunately, can all fall under this growing umbrella of the label as it currently stands at some time or another.

Instead of perpetuating this pattern, we have an opportunity to learn and grow with a political leader who knows, lives and breathes against the slut-shaming stigma.

We have a chance to have a role model who speaks up about the lack of equality, and the misrepresentation of women as sex objects in the media and healthcare rights, all without tearing women down along the way.

I don't think Hillary Clinton can eliminate the word “slut” from our vocabulary, but I do think she is our best hope for feeling represented by someone who has found power amid some treacherous waters.

Clinton is campaigning for a presidency, but if we take it to a smaller level, it is just another form of standing up for herself and others and moving forward.

The women and people who get caught in physical, sexual and emotional abuse are looking for the same thing.

Here is our chance to have a leader who stands for moving beyond a past tainted with ugly words and events.

Depression in women has doubled since 1970. We have been beaten down, cut off and cast as sluts.

Let's try something new. Stop labeling other women with titles you know hurt, and start working together.

Step 1: Vote for Hillary Clinton.