Casual Sexism and Slut Shaming: The Silent Tools of Oppression

 It is the year 2025 and we as a civilization still can't really seem to fathom how intrinsically patriarchy is linked with most things we do on a daily basis. It is so deeply ingrained in our lives, and our characters as humans, that more often than not we tend to overlook and dismiss serious issues in our lives and around us in the world, that are most probably a by-product of an inherent patriarchal society.

Take for example, slut shaming. slut shaming is a direct result of heteronormative double standards - heteronormative double standards refer to the unfair application of different standards or expectations to individuals based on their gender, particularly in relation to sexual behaviour, where men are often praised for behaviours that women are criticized for. In this case, slut shaming is a classic way to dehumanize and oppress women, depriving them of their sexual expressions and explorations. While a man is seen as a "hero" when he sleeps with women (women are often dehumanized in this case as the man's "conquest"), often non consensually, in a similar situation a woman would be called slurs, and reminded of her "purity" or "chastity" and the fact that she belongs to the lower rungs of society's hierarchy.

In this day and age, a very common phenomenon is casual slut shaming or casual sexism, which is again, a result of deeply ingrained misogyny. Casual slut shaming is what you hear in school when the teacher humiliates a female student whose skirt might be a little shorter than the school permits. It's when a sexual assault survivor is blamed instead of the perpetrator. It's also when the hero of a movie is lauded on his recent "conquest" but in a similar situation the female character will be marked as a pariah. We hear it every now and then when our friends crack lewd and vulgar jokes and how many of us really stand up against them?

All of this is part of a bigger issue—patriarchy. As young adults and the youth of the world, we must strive to fight against this deeply ingrained oppression. We must be unrelenting in our efforts to educate our peers and elders alike, for education is our most powerful weapon against manipulation. However, awareness alone is not enough. True change begins when we challenge these biases in our daily lives—when we call out sexist remarks, when we refuse to accept double standards, and when we create spaces that empower rather than shame. It is only through collective resistance and continuous dialogue that we can dismantle the systemic oppression that has been normalized for generations. The fight against patriarchy is not just a battle for women—it is a battle for a more just and equitable world for all.

-Akashleena Sarkar, BA English Literature, 3rd year

- Sketch by Soumil Mukherjee, 1^st year