Finding the Balance Between Virgin and Slut

Jessica Valenti always seems to hit the nail on the head on whatever she is discussing. I agree that sex is everywhere in the media but we treat it like taboo when we’re talking about ourselves or people we know. It seems like women are not able to express themselves through their clothing without being judged of their sexuality. If a woman wears a mini skit and a low cut top chances are most would think that she sleeps around and is a slut. However if a woman wears jeans and a turtleneck she’s probably, for lack of a better word, a prude.
I have that that problem with my close family members my age, since I’m the one with no experience with guys. They always encourage me to just find someone, it doesn’t even matter who because I need the experience. Thanks a lot! What comes next, sex? Then what? Just meaningless hookups because I need the experience? What is the balance between virgin and slut? Valenti seems to think that there isn’t really a middle ground and I agree. She says it with this statement, “look sexy, act as if you’re having sex, but if you do it…whore! I know women are supposed to be complex but trying to be sexy without being too sexy seems like a challenge for the show Survivor. Society never seems to be satisfied with the way women are viewed.
Pop culture and pornography have a lot to do with how women are viewed. With shows like Girls Gone Wild and magazines like Playboy and Maxim, women leaving nothing to the imagination and are being generalized into the slut category. I don’t like to turn on my own gender but shows like Girls Gone Wild add to the oppression women are put under. Ultimately women are viewed as sex objects by men and don’t deserve the same rights as men. Seems to be a completely moronic view if you ask me but I guess we’re still living in a man’s world.