Is There Still A Double Standard For Men Vs. Women When It Comes To Amount Of Sexual Partners?
Since the dawn of time women have been held to a much higher standard than men, especially when it comes to sex. It's still seen as a bad thing when a woman has a high number of sexual partners, often lading to the women in question being labeled as a whore. This way of thinking comes from a misogynist mindset that continues to hold women back. #notokay
In Greek culture, while perhaps not prevalent today, there is something called the Namus ritual where women had to prove their virginity upon getting married. The morning after the wedding night the couple would have to hang their bed sheet from the window to prove 1) that they consummated the marriage and 2) that the woman was a virgin. If there wasn't blood on the sheet then everyone would assume the woman wasn't chaste. It's also true that those men never had to prove a damn thing! Couples outsmarted this tradition by throwing blood from animals on the sheet, but the fact remains that only women ever had to prove anything. Regardless of what a culture or religion deems, it's not a sin for a woman to take part in sexual pleasures.
Not everyone is threatened by female empowerment but sexism is still alive and well, unfortunately. When Donald Trump (now President) had been caught on camera talking about grabbing women by the pussy, it was labeled as "locker room talk." That obviously means that this sexist behavior is acceptable in America, especially when men choose to see themselves as superior to women.
Once upon a time, Christina Aguilera and Lil' Kim came out with a great song that was years ahead of its time. They sang, "If you look back in history it's a common double standard of society. The guy gets all the glory the more he can score. While the girl can do the same yet you call her a whore." The labeling of women as sluts and whores continues today simply because many women choose to be sexually active, when promiscuity occurs on both ends.
Why is it that women are held to higher standards when it comes to how many men they have been with? Many link their arguments back to the spread of STDs – since it takes longer to detect these in women than in men. The main point being that if a woman gets an STD and doesn't realize it due to the symptoms taking longer to appear, she can transmit them to her many partners. The truth is that men can withhold information about having an STD and pass them onto all the many women they're allowed to sleep with.
Men also have a tendency to want their women to be pure – "a freak in the sheets, and a lady in the streets." It's a theme that is perpetuated by music and pop culture. Anna Faris starred in What's Your Number? a movie about a woman who didn't want to increase her sexual partner count and therefore tried to find love with a man she had already been with. Women even bash each other for having a high number. How can women progress if they are tearing each other down for their sexuality instead of supporting one another.
It's time to channel our inner X-Tina and move towards equality. Stop being silent about how many men you've slept with like it's something shameful. And don't tear down your friends and other women for the amount of men they've been with. Women are allowed to sleep with whomever they want and as many men as they want (all responsibly of course).
