Last week’s false rape accusation at Hofstra University has inspired a media storm unparalleled by most actual rape cases. The feeding frenzy has produced some helpful discussion—check out Emily Bazelon’s piece at Slate for a thoughtful dissection of rape, sex, feminism, and the law—and a whole lot of unbridled misogyny.In “Crying wolf really hurts true victims of assault,” The New York Post’s Andrea Peyser rightly points out that false rape accusations can harm the reputations of real sexual assault victims. Peyser also personally demonstrates what else hurts victims: sensationalized media coverage of false rape accusations.

Read More “Victims Vs. Sluts: Hofstra’s False Rape and the Media” »

It’s the classic double standard: If a woman is sexually promiscuous, she’s a slut; if a man is sexually promiscuous, he’s . . . a man. The origin of this fun gender construct can be attributed to the biological way-back-machine. Men, the theory goes, were created to spread their seed to as many wombs as possible; women were created to bear the children of one man only, so she knows which dude to sue for child support.

Whenever a man deviates from this reproductive gender role, he’s labeled as kind of a pussy. When a woman deviates from the role, she doesn’t get off so easy—she’s a bad, immoral, evil slut. It’s funny: even those who believe that men and women were “created” this way though the process of evolution—and not via some God who wove his moral authority into our very genitals—will still argue that deviating from gender norms results in great moral depravity.

Except for gay guys! When gay men are sexually promiscuous—you know, like men are evolutionarily wired to be—they are bad, immoral, evil sluts, too. Welcome to the club, guys (there are no free towels). It’s funny: even those who believe that there’s nothing wrong with being gay still argue that gay sex results in the great moral depravity usually reserved only for female sluts. Why? Because there are no women around to virtuously refuse to have sex with them.

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Every month, I share in the blessing that is my roommate’s subscription to Psychology Today. Just like the popular undergraduate major, the magazine is a potent mixture of pseudo-science:

and hot girls:

This month’s psychological musings include a handy guide to figuring out which girls are slutty. Great. I love psychology.

“Is a short skirt just a welcome mat with a belt?” asks writer Matthew Hutson, to which I reply, “Do skirts have belts?” and also, “No.” No, it is not.

Read More “Girls Who Smile Are Down to Fuck Whatever” »