The ‘Slut’ versus the ‘Player’

Kate Gilhool
Associate Editor

The ‘Slut’ versus ‘Player’ debate is just one of the gender disparities that has been around for a while.

“It takes a lot of work to be considered a Player, Casanova, Don Juan, or a Playboy,” senior Tom said. “If a girl wants some action all she has to do is say the word and it’s there for her.”

It seems that more often than not guys are rarely called out for their number of  ‘hookups’, while girls are negatively labeled for similar behavior. “What is said about a person’s sexual experience is usually based on their gender,” senior Harrison said.

‘Easy,’ ‘Slut,’ and ‘Whore are some of the names given to girls based on their sexual experience. These nicknames are much more negative in comparison to the positive terms men are dubbed with in regard to their sexual encounters.

“It’s unfair how a guy can hookup all he wants, and he’s the man, he’s the player, but if a girl does the same thing, she’s automatically labeled as easy,” senior Rebecca said.

Why is that the more sexual escapades a girl has had the more likely she is to be called a ‘Slut,’ while guys’ stud-meters just go up?                                                                                                        

The evolutionary standpoint argues that the two primal drives of humans are to survive and reproduce. Men sleeping with multiple partners leads to maximum reproduction, whereas a woman, no matter how many men they sleep with, can only get pregnant once every nine months.

Society has always viewed women as possessing something that men want, and acquiring that certain “something” should only be attained through a challenge. “Being able to achieve the ‘goods’ is what earns guys respect and the title of ‘Player.’ Studs have to be the whole package. The double standard is earned,” Tom said.

In a popular standup act, Australian comedian Jim Jefferies joked, “It’s easy to be a slut. It’s hard to be a stud. A slut just has to be there. There are fat, ugly sluts out there. There are no fat, ugly studs.”

According to some guys, all the girl has to do is ‘give it up.’ Tom agreed. “A vagina and a pulse is often enough for a girl to get action,” he said.

Women don’t just face ridicule about their promiscuity from the opposite sex, but from their own sex as well. When senior Julia was asked if numbers mattered when it came to girls she said, “Yes, because it determines whether you’re a slut or not.”

“The respect and self esteem a girl has is inversely proportional to the number of hookups they’ve had,” junior Julia said.

“It’s the girls who are calling themselves the worst names out of everyone,” Harrison said.

But being a woman and having had a few or many sexual experiences, from kissing to sex, isn’t always considered a bad thing. “Being with a girl who is experienced, who knows what to do, is usually better than those without experience,” sophomore Stuart said.

Boys notorious for their ‘stud status’ are a chase for many girls. “Some guys are even more intriguing when they’ve been with a lot of girls, because if you’re able to capture his heart and he chooses you above all the others, it just makes you feel so much more special,” senior Liz said.

A person’s sexual history is only one aspect of who they are as a person. Often times, there is more to their number than meets the eye. “Just like turning a year older, your number or history of sexual experiences might mean more experience inside and outside the bedroom, which is beneficial to both people involved,” senior Sarah said.

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