He Said by Matt Rooney – ‘This is the Golden Age’
The subject of women’s bodies is a subject just as scary to touch as, well, women’s bodies. It becomes even scarier as of late due to the fact that old, white, Republican men seem to think they can chime in and tell you what is up.
They want young women to live in a world where they monitor your birth control, tell you what you can and cannot do with your body and, worst of all, say “it’s your fault” for getting assaulted. Really? Is it your fault if I kick you in the balls because they were dangling too close to the ground?
It is never a woman’s fault because some caveman thought we should live in an era where we can bonk a female on the head and drag her off for his mating pleasure. As a woman you should not have to be afraid of either men or pterodactyls.
You ladies of the college campus are living in a golden age where you should be free to express yourself anyway you see fit. You should be striding the campus with a skip in your step as you look at all the men as they shuffle by—knowing you have complete control over them.
Men know you have total dominance over them, in terms of intelligence, spirit and of course, in the bedroom. Men can be controlled with the bat of a beautiful eye-lash and the denial of even a passing glance. We are quite primitive, really.
That is why some men just wanna watch the world burn by disgracing you with acts like “slut shaming”. They create and throw words around to define you and your adventurous sexual lifestyle—making you feel worthless for being independent of them.
As a result, women feel like less of a person for being sexually active and men feel proud for “conquering” and society agrees with both parties. For some reason it’s considered bad for women to have multiple partners, but men should triumph for every new belt notch.
In fact it should be the opposite. Women should feel empowered after they hook-up with a young man, because every time you do you break the stigma that you should not. It is symbolic of your rise to independence.
When men do it they do it for passion, just like women, but with a severe undercurrent of arrogance and bragging rights. The rumor is true: Men brag about their conquests to their buds as if you were a 10 pound steak they wolfed down and now they get their picture on the wall.
In short, men are sort of pathetic and you should never feel guilty for the way you look, act or discover your inner womanhood.
I know this is about as inspiring as getting the sex talk from your dad, but it comes from the heart. All women should feel beautiful and perfect just the way you are, and know that one day you will inherit the world—you just have to feel bold enough to take it. I for one will have a proud smile on my face as you stomp my head with that lovely pair of new boots.
She Said by Katherine Schooner – ‘Slut is Only a Four-Letter Word’
I want you all to brace yourselves before I say this. It may come as a shock to a few, so if you need to take a seat that is entirely appropriate. Ready? Girls like sex too! I know, it sounds like an urban legend passed through generations of whispers. But I’m about to bust that myth wide open, we are just as much sexual beings as you are, fellas. This is not an attempt to take over your testosterone dripping limelight in the realm of fornication, but I would like to work on establishing a niche for women in your universe of copulation.
The stigma comes from the stone-age idea that women are only useful for bearing children and that their sexual pleasure is about as mythical as Rush Limbaugh’s support for women. But, really, what is so bad about a woman indulging in sex? Do men just want to selfishly stow the pleasure away and keep those locker high fives to themselves?
Opposed to popular belief the average age of deflowering in both men and women is surprisingly similar.
According to kinseyinstitute.org, the average age that men lose their v-cards is age 16.9 and women come in hot at 17.4.
However, I feel as if society ignores this similarity and punishes girls for exploring their sexuality, while on the other hand it allows the excuse “boys will be boys.” What does that even mean? That it is acceptable for men to run around like mindless baboons sniffing out females in heat? Each time a man sleeps with another woman they get another notch in their bedpost and another story to affirm his “stud status.”
Women, on the other hand, end up receiving the short end of the stick in this situation (along with every situation for that matter). As soon as a woman even remotely indicates the fact that she is interested in a man she is basically labeled as a slut. However, unbeknownst to most of the public, women have kept up with men fairly well when it comes to sexual statistics.
According to kinseyinstitute.org, 2.2 percent of men ages 18-24 reported having sex four or more times per week, while the percentage of women in the same age group and category came in at 4.9 percent.
This gap between percentages has led to the infamous practice of slut shaming, which degrades and insults a woman for her sexual behavior, dress or taking action in line with her sexuality in general. Slut shaming has implemented a double standard stating that men can engage in sexual behaviors freely, but women should still be waiting for marriage or “true love” to drop their panties. I am not calling women who decide to withhold their sexual feelings prudish. I am only saying that each woman should be entitled to their own choices pertaining to their sexual behavior without social repercussions.
My only word of advice to the rest of the ladies out there is to not let s— like this bring you down. I understand that being called a slut sounds like nails on a chalkboard and feels like a kick to the ribs; however, it is only a four-letter word. Embrace your sexuality and look at it more like your personal exploration of the world and everything it holds. Own it, there is nothing to be ashamed of. If men get to revel in the glory of ostentatious numbers of partners then it is only fair that we get to as well.
And concluding with the wise words of Walt Whitman: “Sex contains all, bodies, souls, meanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results, promulgations, all hopes, benefactions, bestowals, all the passions, loves, beauties, delights of the earth, all the governments, judges gods.”
