Female sexuality in the Western world has progressed throughout history; however, even today, women face more restrictions on, and experience greater sanctions against their sexuality than men. For example, some people believe that if a woman wears “suggestive clothing” and is then sexually assaulted, it is her fault.  A recent example of this dangerous belief occurred in Toronto at a campus safety information session.  Police officer Michael Sanguinetti, stated, “I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this, however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”  Ideas like this have been around for quite some time -where in the world do they stem from and why are they still a hindrance on our society today?

Two very contradictory images were created during the Middle Ages, which greatly impacted female sexuality: the Virgin Mary, and Eve as the eviltemptress.  The Virgin Mary was seen as living a sinless life; Eve on the other hand, has never lived down her association with the original sin.  She has been used as a counterpoint to the unattainable attributes that the Virgin Mary had.  Unfortunately, Eve’s image was promoted by the Church and paved the way for increased antagonism toward women.  These images evolved into what is more commonly known today as the “Madonna-whore complex”.

It is bewildering to see that in the 21^st Century, women’s sexuality is still polarized between these opposing images and men are trapped between the ideal of purity and the outward displays of sexual expression.  This sexual double standard begins in childhood and extends through adolescence and adulthood.  Girls learn to appear sexy to get the attention of boys, but it is a Catch 22: If she refuses to have sexual relations, she worries about losing her boyfriend….but, if she has sexual relations, she will more than likely be referred to as a “slut”.  Never mind that the boy that she is involved with will be considered a “stud”.  However, if this boy is nonaggressive in his sexual conquest, or sexually inexperienced, he will be labeled a “sissy”.   Should we not question these notions within our society?

The aftermath of the Toronto incident has led to thousands of women in Canada and the U.S. to march, calling their protests SlutWalks.  They are attempting to reclaim the word itself – to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion judges or controls their personal liberties, and the right to control their own sexuality.  I think that the authors of The Ethical Slut, Dossie Easton and Catherine Liszt defined the word best: “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.”  Keep on marching ladies.