About crude terms for women

Last night some girlfriends and I were at a fair and before I begin this story let me note that I certainly understand that whilst one is at a fair they cannot expect the height of sophistication, I do expect however that people will act with common decency.

That being said, we were walking around and it was very crowded, there were people everywhere and bright lights and loud noises, but a situation where you cannot expect to have much personal space. Apparently one of my girlfriends inadvertently cut a young man off. Rather than ignore it, or at most give her a dirty look, this young man called her a slut...slow down and think about that. A teenage boy called a woman in her twenties that he did not know a slut.

Let's back up and take a look at my girlfriend. She was wearing jeans (no holes or tears), a t-shirt (not form fitting, just a regular t-shirt) and a zip-up hoodie. However, even taking a look at the very un-sluty appearance of my girlfriend, I know this young man was not referring to her outfit. I believe this young man was just using a term that is common in his everyday language to convey his annoyance with the situation.

And therein lies the problem. When did it become ok to use such offensive terms without a backwards glance? What has become of propriety? Who has enabled this young man to get away with such poor behavior?

The terms that have become so frequently used for woman are overwhelming if you sit back and think about it. I feel heartbroken at the lackadaisical way in which these terms have come to be used; terms like slut, whore, bitch, and probably others. Sadly I think that even we women have allowed this by using the terms ourselves, even as a joke.

So here’s the thing about crude terms for women: they are unacceptable, they are hurtful, they are offensive…and they should not belong to our common language.