Slut-shaming in secondary essay?

[aishtr1295]

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Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

 

[Amazingmuzmo]

No

 

[DrBowtie]

....No.

 

[milkphlegm]

Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

While if you're aware of and involved in the issues surrounding this phrase, you understand what it means and might not find it inappropriate - I unfortunately don't think you could get away with it considering the admissions audience. I agree this is an important topic to be aware of, but it just might be too touchy if you're trying to get yourself into medical school. What is the prompt you're addressing?

 

[deleted503015]

While if you're aware of and involved in the issues surrounding this phrase, you understand what it means and might not find it inappropriate - I unfortunately don't think you could get away with it considering the admissions audience. I agree this is an important topic to be aware of, but it just might be too touchy if you're trying to get yourself into medical school. What is the prompt you're addressing?

+1 to the no's, partly because of this. I don't think I'm that far removed from undergrad (graduated in 2012) and I had never heard this word before and needed to look it up. So it came off as extremely inappropriate. I wouldn't assume everyone is familiar with terms like this.

EDIT: If it helps, imagine your grandfather reading the essay. I had an open-file interview with someone that age, and I don't know if he would have appreciated the terminology, even if you had defined it.

 

[pre med 2014]

They showed the girl on 20/20 who coined that term, she received a lot of support as well as from her college she was accepted into. Her high school principle asked her how she'd like if he sabotaged her college acceptance by telling them what she was doing about bringing awareness to slut shaming and the college came out on twitter supporting her... lol principle must of felt like a jackass

I wouldn't talk about it in a PS but I think you'd be safe to just mention it as a hobby/volunteer activity

 

[Ost3oclast]

Hahahaha I've seen it all on SDN. If my account were gone today I would know that I milked it for all its worth. Thank you SDN. Thank you.

OP..............no.

 

[Soulstice]

You could say gender abuse, or literally anything else in the world, but slut-shaming.

 

[Dreamer29]

You could say gender abuse, or literally anything else in the world, but slut-shaming.

Agreed. I think it'd be ok to talk about the issue, but pick a different wording that's less crass.

 

[Doodledog]

Agreed. I think it'd be ok to talk about the issue, but pick a different wording that's less crass.

This is an interesting one....

I generally agree with the above comment. However, without googling it, I suspect there is some importance to the phrase itself in understanding the phenomenon and how it affects college students. In that case, using the phrase might be important as without it, the overall impact of the situation is lost.

Without question, using the word "slut" will be a turnoff to some adcoms and might cost you some interview offers and is a risk. However, that might be balanced by getting others to want to talk to you in order to understand why the word/phrase is so important.

If you get interviews and they ask about this (assuming you've described the situation without using the word "slut"), then you'll need to judge the interviewer as best you can. You might say something like "there is a term that is used that is very harmful but somewhat obscene to some". Then see if the interviewer says "what is it?" in which case you're on safe grounds saying it. Of course the interviewer could say "Oh, you mean slut-shaming?"....

Okay, now I've used the word "slut" 4 times in one post, which easily exceeds the number of times I've written the word in my life previously. So, it isn't too bad a word to use with adcom members...😛

 

[pre med 2014]

Agreed. I think it'd be ok to talk about the issue, but pick a different wording that's less crass.

I think it's ironic they chose to coin the term 'slut' shaming since the bullying they are trying to bring awareness towards is bullying girls who are sexually active and calling them names like 'slut'

 

[A7X]

Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

No.

 

[deleted407021]

Would that be something you would say in a professional environment? If not, leave it out.

 

[alpinism]

Please do.

But understand that if you write provocatively like a slut, some adcoms might think you are a slut.

 

[milkphlegm]

Please do.

But understand that if you write provocatively like a slut, some adcoms might think you are a slut.

If you write provocatively like a slut? What does that even mean?

 

[whatever5]

I would be highly highly highly cautious using that word.

The most acceptable way I could think of putting it in would be something like "The derogation of sexually active woman, colloquially referred to as "slut shaming"..."

Wait no. Even writing that felt wrong. Just don't. What does that even have to do with why you want to be a doctor?

 

[plumhill]

Please do.

But understand that if you write provocatively like a slut, some adcoms might think you are a slut.

^ OK that doesn't make any sense. If OP writes about the double standards, bullying, harassment and sometimes physical attacks that supposedly "provocative" women face, adcoms will think OP is a slut? Some misogynistic medical school that would be.

I think our fear of using the word "slut shaming" (kind of like how people cringe to use the words "rape" and "sex" and "vagina") sort of goes to reinforce the importance of bringing awareness to slut-shaming in today's society. If I were an adcom member I would internally cheer if you used the word, but that's just me, unfortunately 🙁 so I must dejectedly agree with the above posters and advise you to leave the term out. But I think yon can (and should) absolutely talk about the subject! Make sure your PS ultimately shows why you want to be a doctor and what you've done to prove it, but this is definitely an interesting issue and a little-discussed social issue that does have some medical ramifications in some instances, so I think you could turn this into a very powerful PS if you work at it.

 

[Member67988]

Please do.

But understand that if you write provocatively like a slut, some adcoms might think you are a slut.

Its so painfully obvious that some of these posters have NO idea what the issue at hand is. I don't think you need to leave it out of your essay. If you care enough about the issue, you can find a way to write it so that the 80 year olds reading it will not be offended. I think its an important message so go for it!

 

[Toss]

Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

If you have to ask, it's never okay.

Just find another way to phrase it.

 

[Radon XP]

Is there a gender-neutral term for people (men and women) with irresponsibly promiscuous sex lives?

 

[NontradCA]

Why don't you just say double standard? /thread

 

[Toss]

Is there a gender-neutral term for people (men and women) with irresponsibly promiscuous sex lives?

Slut.

Slut-shaming is used against both men and women (though more commonly associated with women).

 

[Radon XP]

Slut.

Slut-shaming is used against both men and women (though more commonly associated with women).

Wait, what? I thought the problem with slut-shaming was the double standard with which it was applied, i.e, only to women, while men are either ignored or even praised (e.g. the "playa" culture")

If "slut" is already a gender-neutral term, then the issue is no longer one of gender equality but rather whether or not it should be considered shameful/inappropriate to be irresponsibly promiscuous... so "slut" is obviously NOT gender-neutral.

I don't think there's anything wrong with judging people who have irresponsible sex lives. The problem with slut-shaming is that it singles WOMEN out and places the blame on them for it, even though it should be placed on both parties.

 

[SunsFun]

Why would you wanna write about so controversial? Maybe you can tie it up to medicine but to me it seems like you're shooting yourself in the foot talking about things that people may feel quite different about. Some members of the ADCOM could be much more conservative than you and may find your disagreement with those who shame promiscuity in teenagers to be a sign of bad character. It's a gamble that I wouldn't take.

 

[Ost3oclast]

Wait, what? I thought the problem with slut-shaming was the double standard with which it was applied, i.e, only to women, while men are either ignored or even praised (e.g. the "playa" culture")

If "slut" is already a gender-neutral term, then the issue is no longer one of gender equality but rather whether or not it should be considered shameful/inappropriate to be irresponsibly promiscuous... so "slut" is obviously NOT gender-neutral.

I don't think there's anything wrong with judging people who have irresponsible sex lives. The problem with slut-shaming is that it singles WOMEN out and places the blame on them for it, even though it should be placed on both parties.

Yeah I agree. Although in the last couple of years I have heard more and more females referring to promiscuous males as "sluts" so maybe its becoming gender neutral slowly? Either way this is an interesting discussion for a pre-med forum lol

 

[Radon XP]

Yeah I agree. Although in the last couple of years I have heard more and more females referring to promiscuous males as "sluts" so maybe its becoming gender neutral slowly? Either way this is an interesting discussion for a pre-med forum lol

What I object to is the notion that because somebody opposes slut-shaming, they must condone irresponsible sex lives/promiscuity. My objection to slut-shaming should in no way indicate that I approve of such things. It's more about whether or not it's applied universally.

There are two issues at play here, and people get them confused.

 

[Majin]

[/QUOTE]

Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

[youtube]umDr0mPuyQc[/youtube]

 

[Toss]

Wait, what? I thought the problem with slut-shaming was the double standard with which it was applied, i.e, only to women, while men are either ignored or even praised (e.g. the "playa" culture")

If "slut" is already a gender-neutral term, then the issue is no longer one of gender equality but rather whether or not it should be considered shameful/inappropriate to be irresponsibly promiscuous... so "slut" is obviously NOT gender-neutral.

I don't think there's anything wrong with judging people who have irresponsible sex lives. The problem with slut-shaming is that it singles WOMEN out and places the blame on them for it, even though it should be placed on both parties.

That's not the only issue with slut-shaming.

And yes, as Ost3oclast says, more and more women are referring to promiscuous men as "sluts". Slut-shaming is also slowly become more gender-neutral.

http://athefist.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/male-slut-shaming/
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/10/she_called_me_a_manwhore/
http://www.genderratic.com/p/2155/male-privilege-slut-shaming/

 

[dancingparadox]

I don't think that the term itself is becoming gender neutral -- most often, people always qualify with "man-slut" or "man-*****".

 

[Toss]

I don't think that the term itself is becoming gender neutral -- most often, people always qualify with "man-slut" or "man-*****".

I have never heard "man-slut" or "man-*****" used in a non-joking manner.

 

[Radon XP]

That's not the only issue with slut-shaming.

And yes, as Ost3oclast says, more and more women are referring to promiscuous men as "sluts". Slut-shaming is also slowly become more gender-neutral.

http://athefist.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/male-slut-shaming/
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/10/she_called_me_a_manwhore/
http://www.genderratic.com/p/2155/male-privilege-slut-shaming/

If it became gender neutral, would it still be problematic?

 

[IJL]

What in gods name are you talking about OP? Of course that's not ok.

 

[Doodledog]

I don't think there's anything wrong with judging people who have irresponsible sex lives.

What does "irresponsible" mean? If it means not using safe sex or certain actions like pedophilia and bestiality, then, it is appropriately challenged either through private conversation (related to safe sex practices) or, legal action for pedophilia and bestiality.

However, in reality, the problem is that the judgment is often not private, is not about these things but is about perception of sexual behavior that some consider worthy of judgment. I suspect in this case, it focuses on the number of sexual partners. Irresponsible here is almost always defined as "one more than I have or hope to have if I get lucky tonight." It is uncommonly used to describe males, although it can be.

Regardless, the OP has indicated that they want to write about how they were supportive of someone who had been hurt be accusations related to their sexual behavior. This is not the first time I would have seen such an essay and it is a perfectly reasonable topic for a med school essay although I'm not sure I'd make it the primary focus.

The issue was the specific use of one term and I've addressed my ambivalence about the pros and cons of that issue in my other post. With regard to the topic, in my humble opinion, it is an okay topic and not a problem.

 

[aishtr1295]

Okay, verdict seems to be a no on the use of the term but okay on the general topic. Better safe than no interview, eh? Thanks!!

 

[Radon XP]

Okay, verdict seems to be a no on the use of the term but okay on the general topic. Better safe than no interview, eh? Thanks!!

A good umbrella term might be "gender issues". Then you can talk about that.

 

[Ellie Arroway]

I know someone that wrote part of her PS on the importance of feminist analysis in her intellectual development. She was a womens' studies major & she goes to UCSF now. But the language she used was very general, relatively tame and contained no in-community neologisms. I've only heard slut-shaming as a term in the last couple years and plenty of language to describe the same thing existed before that.

 

[DokterMom]

Okay, verdict seems to be a no on the use of the term but okay on the general topic. Better safe than no interview, eh? Thanks!!

How can you address the topic without using the plain-speak word for it? (Weakly, that's how)

Guess I'm in the distinct minority here, but I'd say, if you're going to talk about the problem, speak it's name. And be clear about what *you* mean by 'slut-shaming' and exactly what you object to. Is it sexual irresponsibility? Sheer number of partners? Bullying? Misogyny? Double Stand? Just plain meanness and judgy-ness?

If you're going to be a doctor, you can't shirk from the difficult topics.

 

[Member67988]

If you're going to be a doctor, you can't shirk from the difficult topics.

Amen!

 

[yehhhboiii]

How can you address the topic without using the plain-speak word for it? (Weakly, that's how)

Guess I'm in the distinct minority here, but I'd say, if you're going to talk about the problem, speak it's name. And be clear about what *you* mean by 'slut-shaming' and exactly what you object to. Is it sexual irresponsibility? Sheer number of partners? Bullying? Misogyny? Double Stand? Just plain meanness and judgy-ness?

If you're going to be a doctor, you can't shirk from the difficult topics.

doctors avoid plain-speak words for things all the time

you can address difficult topics while maintaining a certain level of propriety

 

[DokterMom]

doctors avoid plain-speak words for things all the time

you can address difficult topics while maintaining a certain level of propriety

So what's a more proper term that doesn't dilute the ugliness?

 

[Radon XP]

So what's a more proper term that doesn't dilute the ugliness?

It depends on what slut-shaming means to you, i.e, is it that judging others on the level of promiscuity they exhibit is wrong, or that judging females for being promiscuous while not judging males to the same extent for the same thing is wrong? It could be either or both. In my case, it'd be the latter, as the former does not bother me if applied universally; in that case, I'd talk about "gender double standards", or gender expectations, or something to that effect, as it relates to sexual activity.

 

[RocknRhoLim]

I remember reading quite a few personal statements with inappropriate topics/phrases and it seems like people want to distinguish themselves from the pack but that is not the way to do it. You don't want to stand out in a bad way. There are other ways to describe this in your personal statement if you still want to talk about this topic.

 

[Geebeejay]

What? How does this have anything to do with being a doctor?

 

[DokterMom]

What? How does this have anything to do with being a doctor?

It absolutely does. Asking a female if she is sexually active, the age at which she became sexually active, how many partners she has had, what precautions she takes against STDs -- They are all medically relevant questions, but due to the perception of possible slut-shaming, may not produce honest answers.

 

[TheFuture_22]

Is is okay to use the term "slut-shaming" in my secondary essay?

I want to write an essay about a friend who came to me for help and a part of her woes was all the slut-shaming that was going on. I want to talk about how that is a major issue in today's college society, the fact that such a word even exists. It's such a powerful word that makes me cringe both inside and outside but it also doesn't seem that inappropriate given the context.

Thanks.

I laughed for a good 3 minutes straight after just seeing the title to this thread. For that OP, I must thank you, the answer is no though and twice on Sunday.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

This is an interesting one....

I generally agree with the above comment. However, without googling it, I suspect there is some importance to the phrase itself in understanding the phenomenon and how it affects college students. In that case, using the phrase might be important as without it, the overall impact of the situation is lost.

Without question, using the word "slut" will be a turnoff to some adcoms and might cost you some interview offers and is a risk. However, that might be balanced by getting others to want to talk to you in order to understand why the word/phrase is so important.

If you get interviews and they ask about this (assuming you've described the situation without using the word "slut"), then you'll need to judge the interviewer as best you can. You might say something like "there is a term that is used that is very harmful but somewhat obscene to some". Then see if the interviewer says "what is it?" in which case you're on safe grounds saying it. Of course the interviewer could say "Oh, you mean slut-shaming?"....

Okay, now I've used the word "slut" 4 times in one post, which easily exceeds the number of times I've written the word in my life previously. So, it isn't too bad a word to use with adcom members...😛

What does "irresponsible" mean? If it means not using safe sex or certain actions like pedophilia and bestiality, then, it is appropriately challenged either through private conversation (related to safe sex practices) or, legal action for pedophilia and bestiality.

However, in reality, the problem is that the judgment is often not private, is not about these things but is about perception of sexual behavior that some consider worthy of judgment. I suspect in this case, it focuses on the number of sexual partners. Irresponsible here is almost always defined as "one more than I have or hope to have if I get lucky tonight." It is uncommonly used to describe males, although it can be.

Regardless, the OP has indicated that they want to write about how they were supportive of someone who had been hurt be accusations related to their sexual behavior. This is not the first time I would have seen such an essay and it is a perfectly reasonable topic for a med school essay although I'm not sure I'd make it the primary focus.

The issue was the specific use of one term and I've addressed my ambivalence about the pros and cons of that issue in my other post. With regard to the topic, in my humble opinion, it is an okay topic and not a problem.

Am I the only one reading Tildy's posts? I think they are very informative and address the issue at hand. OP, I think if you follow this advice you will be set.

 

[Arkangeloid]

No. Don't do this if you want to be a physician.

Adcoms at some schools have to go through over 10000 applications. They won't give every essay the attention it deserves, and they are looking for reasons to get rid of people so they can have a more manageable pool of applications to read.

If an adcom sees the word "slut" appear in what is supposed to be a professional document, they'll probably throw out the application based on that alone.



But let's assume they read your essay carefully and give you a fair review. Well, it's worth remembering that the medical profession is one of the most conservative professions of them all. In other words, some of these people probably support slut-shaming.


So basically, if you write about slut-shaming, either the adcom will throw out your application immediately, or throw it out later.

 

[Ellie Arroway]

If an adcom sees the word "slut" appear in what is supposed to be a professional document, they'll probably throw out the application based on that alone.

This. While taking on difficult & controversial issues is an important thing in one's career, remember that the majority of people don't actually understand the idea of reclaimed language.

I am saying this as someone that took a lot of controversial risks in my application. I don't think this one in particular will work out well.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Am I the only one reading Tildy's posts? I think they are very informative and address the issue at hand. OP, I think if you follow this advice you will be set.

👍 Interesting that the only person that seems to not view it as a major issue is the adcom member.

I probably would have thought it was a bad idea too, but then again, I have no experience in admissions.

 

[Toss]

👍 Interesting that the only person that seems to not view it as a major issue is the adcom member.

I probably would have thought it was a bad idea too, but then again, I have no experience in admissions.

Tildy was ambivalent about the use of the word "slut" as many of the people were, but views the topic as okay, just like many of the other people were saying.

Not sure where you were going with that.

Without question, using the word "slut" will be a turnoff to some adcoms and might cost you some interview offers and is a risk. However, that might be balanced by getting others to want to talk to you in order to understand why the word/phrase is so important.

The issue was the specific use of one term and I've addressed my ambivalence about the pros and cons of that issue in my other post. With regard to the topic, in my humble opinion, it is an okay topic and not a problem.