The week that was featured sports heroes who made bigger news off of their respective fields than on. It was filled with confessions and conflict. But neither Lance Armstrong nor Manti Te'o were able to outshine one major sports story.
Lance Armstrong confessed to using performance enhancing drugs that most believed that he was already using anyway. While some believe that Lance's motives were selfish and his attitude non remorseful, Armstrong still managed to work up the courage to confess his mistakes and move forward. Said one reader:
"Armstrong owes nothing to anyone. He did wrong; he's suffered the consequences; let it go."
Manti Te'o, not 2 weeks ago, was on top of the world. His Notre Dame team was on top off the world. They were undefeated and headed for a national championship game against the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Now, the game is over, and Te'o is fighting to maintain his image in the midst of controversy. Specifically, Te'o was the alleged victim of a sick crime that some believe he may have been a part of. One former Michigan resident and college football fan stated the following:
" Te'o lost the championship game, his credibility, and a ton of money when his draft status diminishes. What did he know and when? There is no way he will ever regain or recapture the image he had before this story broke. Our athletes, once heroes, can't seemingly get out of their own way. When there is more talk about what they are doing than how they are playing; then you have a problem that is not going away; and is in fact getting worse."
As sensational and sad as these stories are, they pale in comparison to one sport. The sport, which has been around for only a short time but is now in the national spotlight, is called "slut shaming."
Slut shaming is the act of calling out or criticizing a young lady for "all things sex." This includes anything from having multiple sex partners; to dressing in a manner that is deemed provocative. Utilizing Facebook, some young ladies are criticized by men and women alike. Some are averaging 5-10 slut shaming hits on their Facebook pages every day. That's more than the number of tour de France victories than lance Armstrong had in his entire career!
The outrage surrounding slut shaming evolved into a movement, and groups started planning slut walks. These walks were designed to advocate on behalf of anyone that was a victim of sexual assault; regardless of how they dress or their profession.
Slut walks became popular in Toronto, when a police officer told young ladies that they could avoid sexual assault by dressing less provocatively.
The city of Chicago hosted a "slut walk" in September 2012.
Chicagoans unfamiliar with either term; offered the following:
"I get the need to protect the innocent, but like this?”
"We are teaching our young ladies to become okay with the term slut.
At a time when young ladies are dealing with so many emotional and physical changes, do we really want to call these slut walks? Can't someone have come up with a more appropriate term?"
“Once upon a time, our young ladies were called princesses. Now, they are devalued; looked upon as toys or property; referred to and treated like garbage. And we wonder why so many struggle with their self esteem. So a Man thinks in his heart"
The "hey girls, did you know" page on Facebook, a page for sut shaming, currently has over 40,000 likes.
Source: new York daily news
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