Why There Are No Sluts Or Players In Today's Hook-Up Culture

Men and women alike have varying opinions concerning double standards.

One never-ending argument revolves around the idea that it's easier for a woman to sleep around than a man; it's a prideful accomplishment for a man to have many sexual partners but it's looked down upon for a woman to.

This is also known as the Slut vs. Stud debacle, and it's time this conundrum comes to an end.

If you're a woman, chances are you've been called a slut at least once in your lifetime. Perhaps this name calling started when you were dating a cute boy at school, most likely the one every other girl wishes she could get her hands on.

You probably were still a virgin, but somehow, you were still considered a slut.

Or maybe, you had a steamy make out session in a crowded movie theater, physically matured faster than the other girls at school, worked out in a sports bra in public or wore a bikini on a school trip.

Whatever it may be, most women can admit they have been victims of this name-calling one way or another. The thing is, the petty gossip in grade school is only the beginning of this long road of sexism and misogyny.

As children, we're taught societal expectations of our genders, intentional or not. If you're a girl, chances are you grew up playing house or school with your girlfriends, nurturing baby dolls and idolizing Disney princesses.

Throughout elementary school, middle school and high school, your identity is shaped by the rules of a standardized dress code, making every morning of warmer weather a living hell. Your shorts were somehow always too far above the knee or the neckline of your dress was too low.

You grow up being told these rules are to avoid distractions but you're inadvertently being taught that men are solely trying to get in your pants. The reality of it is that it's really to control women through shame and humiliation so they will obey the social stigma that has already been created for them.

As a young woman, I've experienced this stigma; while I'll admit the biological differences of my gender to a male's are undeniable, it doesn't define what I am or am not capable of.

Sadly, it doesn't end here.

In college, most people's sex lives become accustomed to the inevitable “hook-up culture." In this culture, women are often victims of being judged for “hooking up” with someone they're not in a relationship with. Let me make something clear: Having sex with someone you're not in a relationship with is not degrading.

It's solely up to one's personal preference and a choice every person, male or female, has the right to make on their own. Sadly, if a girl hooks up with a select few guys in a fraternity she's deemed a slut, whereas a guy who sleeps with an entire sorority pledge class is applauded for his valor.

Why is a woman less of a person because she is having casual sex?

A guy will rarely ever hear this terminology. The same guy you dated, made out with, cheated on you, will be recognized as a stud, a dog, a player and possibly more desirable to other women because quite honestly men's sexual promiscuity has never been viewed the same as a woman's.

Yet, somehow, we only perceive the woman's behavior as arbitrary, instead of holding a man accountable for doing the exact same thing.

The same goes for cheating. When a man cheats it's anticipated and brushed under the rug as a normality. His friends come to console him, but it'll be quickly disregarded and after hours of nonstop tears his girlfriend will probably take him back. Typical right?

On the contrary, if a woman cheats, she is immediately ostracized and her beloved partner that pleaded for her forgiveness will refuse to acknowledge her due to the level of betrayal. Why is a woman's infidelity any different than a man's? It should be viewed as equally disrespectful for both sexes, end of story.

All of these circumstances have caused the evolution of slut shaming and degradation of women. My question is this: When is it going to stop?

This inequality is affecting our justice system and altering the punishments that sexual offenders are receiving. Rape victims are asked in court, “Well, how much did you drink that night?” or “What were you wearing?” Even a woman's reproductive rights are hindered because men claim they don't have the emotional capacity to make practical decisions.

We've been taught to admire studs because we live in a patriarchal culture, but why is it an accomplishment to achieve and conquer women's sexuality? Well, it's somewhat our fault too ladies.

Many women have taken a very perverse stance on chivalry, expecting men to admire and woo, and most notably, making a man “earn” sex. Sex is not a game or prize to be won. It's something that should be agreed upon by two people and treated with utmost respect and delicacy.

The same goes to asking a guy out, whether it's Tinder, Bumble, at a bar, via text, it doesn't matter; you have the right to ask him first. You don't need to wait for a man to show interest in you before you show interest in him. Stop supporting the fairytale of teaching women to “save” themselves for that special someone to sweep them off their feet.

As a gender, we will never be appreciated the way we should be if we support itemizing our bodies and marketing our worth as if our only purpose in life to achieve male attention and praise.

The social view of promiscuous men and women has remained fairly consistent in the fact that men are seen as studs and women are seen as sluts. My final question is: What exactly defines one as a slut?

A slut has been defined as “a woman who has the morals of a man," but why is this viewed as a bad thing? Sex is a natural, biological necessity.

The slut/stud conundrum is outdated and everyone, male and female, deserves to be treated with equality and respect. The act of fornication is no longer taboo and it's time we start acting like it.