Stuyvesant Students’ Experiences With Slut Shaming

“I have never experienced it myself, but I do know of conversations people have had about other Stuyvesant students who they feel are dressing or oversharing moments on social media that are inappropriate for their age. I have never partaken in any of these discussions, but I do think that slut shaming exists at Stuy, though the issue is not very prominent.”

“I feel like slut-shaming at Stuy is a huge issue. I know a lot of guys that call girls derogatory names for just being a little flirty and liking a few guys over the past couple of years. They even do this to girls who are currently in relationships. I’ve often seen or experienced something where someone (including myself) was in a relationship and simply by talking to a male friend about a class or something similar, they would assume the girl was a ‘slut.’ I think this issue stems from a lot of guys at Stuy having a very possessive view of what a relationship should be. I also think social media makes the issue ten times worse, one notable example being any type of confession page.”

“At Stuyvesant, I have been called a slut for my outfit. Sometimes it is obviously [said] in a joking matter, but other times it is really difficult to tell. At first, it would bother me that I was being called a slut, but later on I got used to it and decided to embrace the name if anyone called me a slut. After all, they must have a really sad life if their entertainment comes from calling me names.”

“I've seen people get slut shamed, and heard of people being slut shamed and whore shamed but have never been a victim of it.” 

“People never like what you wear as a woman. If it’s showing skin, it’s ‘slutty’ and ‘asking for it,’ but if it’s not, it’s ‘too modest’ and men ask you to show more. Especially in the summer, people think it’s okay to comment on what you’re wearing—if men can run without a shirt, why can’t we run in a sports bra without being shamed and catcalled? At Stuy, there isn’t as avid catcalling, but I know of a few people who have been slut shamed (not to their face) for what they wear. Yes, you shouldn’t go naked to school, but these people aren’t. You should be able to wear what makes you happy without having to be afraid of being sexualized.”

“I think that slut-shaming is very normalized at Stuy. I know of many instances where my friends—or I—have been slut shamed, but it is not taken seriously because nobody seems to consider the fact that, even in high school, people do not have the right to talk negatively about a woman in that regard. For example, just today, my friend told me that her ex is going around telling everyone that she is ‘easy to [expletive]’ and she isn’t doing anything about it because she does not want to seem petty or uncool. At Stuy, it seems that you cannot speak up without being seen as uncool or ‘not able to take a joke.’ Additionally, during my Spanish class a guy called me a bop simply for taking their seat. He used that word as an insult and said it like it was any other normalized insult. In reality, this word should not be normalized or trendy because it literally means slut and nobody should go around calling anyone a slut; nobody has any right to slut shame anyone else.”