Slut Shaming in Adolescence: A Violence against Girls and Its Impact on Their Health

Abstract

Slut shaming is defined as the stigmatization of an individual based on his or her appearance, sexual availability, and actual or perceived sexual behavior. It can take place in physical or virtual spaces. The present study questions the impact of this form of sexism in virtual spaces on girls and interrogates the interaction between the values that girls integrate through their life experiences, especially in the family sphere, and slut shaming victimization. We conducted a paper-pencil questionnaire with 605 girls between the ages of 10 and 18 (average age: 15.18 years). Our data confirm the impact of slut shaming on the physical and psychological well-being of young girls as early as adolescence. Second, mediation analyses provide insights into the revictimization and Poly-victimization processes, from childhood adverse experiences to sexist victimization in virtual spaces and their combined impact on the physical and psychic health of girls. Finally, we address prevention strategies and the involvement of socializing institutions in the deconstruction of gender stereotypes.

Nonconsensual Dissemination of Sexual Images Among Adolescents: Associations With Depression and Self-Esteem

“…Therefore, targets of nonconsensual dissemination might be diminished, made fun of, insulted, humiliated, physically harmed, and harassed by others because they sent the sexual picture in the first place (Gassó et al, 2021). This experience is particularly common among girls (Dobson & Ringrose, 2016; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021). Experiencing secondary victimization might exacerbate targets’ depressive symptoms and global mental health (Gassó et al, 2021; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021).…”

“…Existing programs usually try to persuade young people not to engage in sexting at all while focusing on the responsibilities of the target of the nonconsensual dissemination, claiming that they should have prevented the incident by not sending the sexual pictures in the first place (Dobson & Ringrose, 2016; York, 2021). Such victim-blaming approach could lead adolescents to blame the target while further exacerbating the target’s depressive symptoms (Dobson & Ringrose, 2016; Gassó et al, 2021; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021). Furthermore, teaching adolescents to abstain from sexting prevents them from exploring their sexuality and deprives them of their sexual agency (Döring, 2014; Patchin & Hinduja, 2019).…”

“…This experience is particularly common among girls (Dobson & Ringrose, 2016; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021). Experiencing secondary victimization might exacerbate targets’ depressive symptoms and global mental health (Gassó et al, 2021; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021). It should be noted that experiencing mental health issues and enduring secondary victimization is common among both targets of digital sexual abuse and among those who are targeted by offline forms of sexual violence.…”

Associations between ethnic identity commitment, discrimination, and sexism with sexual risk among Latina college students.

“…Perhaps interventions can highlight number of sexual partners as an indicator of sexual risk within a sex-positive framework that emphasizes sexual empowerment and decision-making and does not use scare tactics (Lee et al, 2016). However, more research is needed to understand whether perceived experiences of sexism tend to be a risk factor for engaging in sexual behavior with many partners, or whether having a higher number of partners leads women to experience more sexism due to stigma (e.g., “slut-shaming”; Goblet & Glowacz, 2021), objectification (e.g., Vaes et al, 2011), or coercive sexual experiences (e.g., less negotiation of condoms by partners; Fernández-Fuertes et al, 2018; Franklin, 2010). Future investigations should be intersectional, as past research has uncovered that differences in slut-shaming exist based on social class (Armstrong et al, 2014) and that sex education for young adult Latinas tends to reinforce existing inequities through content and delivery that is gendered, racialized, and heteronormative (García, 2009).…”

The Slut‐Shaming Instrument: Preliminary validation, correlates, and links with psychological distress among adolescent girls

“…Girls who are perceived as sexualized receive less sympathy than their non‐sexualized peers when experiencing either peer victimization or sexual violence (Hackman et al, 2017; Pickel & Gentry, 2017). One recent study also linked slut‐shaming (defined as having received offensive messages because of dress, make‐up or sexual behavior or being the target of sexual rumors) to health problems and depressive symptoms (Goblet & Glowacz, 2021). Qualitative research also suggests that slut‐shaming is related to real or perceived sexual or sexualized behavior, but also serves to reinforce existing social hierarchies (Armstrong et al, 2014; Chmielewski et al, 2017; Summit et al, 2016).…”