7 Ways To Fight Slut-Shaming
By Brock Hansen. Posted on .
Slut shaming is the latest form of cyberbullying. Like all bullying, it is motivated by the perpetrator's desire for attention. Social media makes it easy and tempts cyberbullies because they can do it with little risk to themselves. However, because bullying is so emotionally damaging, it is important to fight this dangerous trend.
Sex at any age involves trust and self-exposure, but especially for adolescents just learning to trust themselves and their partners in relationships. When slut shaming exposes someone to intense humiliation and possibly further social ostracism, the emotional damage can be terrible. A recent online article by 16-year-old rookie reporter Temitayo Fagbenle on slut shaming was discussed recently on NPR's show All Things Considered.
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Here are seven ways you can help stop this trend:
1. If you are a friend of the victim: Reach out and tell a trusted adult. Ask him/her to set up some kind of intervention supporting the victim and confronting the bully.
2. If you are a friend of the perpetrator: Tell him/her it is not cool to be cruel and no form of bullying is okay.
3. If you are an acquaintance of the perpetrator or the victim: Don't participate in the shaming. Boycott it at least or confront it if you can. You could even consider un-friending the perpetrator.
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4. If you are a parent or teacher who becomes aware of it: Make sure the victim has supportive counseling and take the appropriate steps to discipline the perpetrator. Keep reading...
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