I Was Slut-Shamed by a Fellow Writer for Posting Half-Naked Pictures Online
By: Julia Beaudett
Tags: Culture, Feminism, Equality, Women, Sexuality

Fighting for sex positivity and creating a magazine exclusively dedicated to sexuality and its exploration, I, as a chief editor, want to promote the idea of women being free from all the prejudice around their sexuality. I want to see my fellow women doing whatever they want with their body — making money, enjoying it, loving and cherishing it, and if sharing their looks online with the world helps them spread this message even more, why blame them?

I love looking at pictures of professional models in my feed. I love seeing my fellow female writers getting brave and sharing their body and overcoming any insecurities they might have about it. Because after all, we are here to support them and remind them once again of how beautiful and unique they are.

Don’t you think we wouldn’t feel so much better about our bodies and its varieties if not for the real pictures of the real people in our feed who are sharing them with a positive message: “We are all beautiful. Love yourself!”

Female beauty inspires me, and I never oversexualize it. But according to this writer, a woman can’t own her sexuality because that might make her a target for sexual harassment or rape.

Based on that, I can’t even imagine what her honest opinion is about jobs like webcam, prostitution, dominatrix, or OnlyFans modeling is. Empowering jobs that have helped many students, mothers, and women survive in this world and live a decent, proud life.

I am not afraid or ashamed of my sexuality and body, and I know that in the past, I’ve encouraged other women to overcome their insecurities and share their pictures with the world. It was beautiful and truly empowering for them.

I know how many women are out there being slut-shamed for the way they dress, put makeup on, or take pictures, and the idea of such a person shaming their fellow writers within a supportive community like that just doesn’t sit right with me.

People should support each other no matter what. Especially women.

And even though she then said it was just an attempt to help me, I don’t think that was honest care and help. Having a bad hangover when you’re 22 years old is not a cry for help as she implied in her story, neither is being heartbroken and sharing my emotions with my readers.

I love drinking and occasionally smoking weed. But the fact that I share those things with my readers and joke about them is just a way of connecting with more people and being more real to them. I am who I am. Naked or not, sober or drunk, I’m trying to treat this life much simpler and not be afraid of showing my real self to the people who choose to be my followers.

But if you are concerned about someone, you take completely different actions.

When someone has a drug addiction, you get concerned and reach out asking if there’s anything you can do to help them, not writing an article calling them junkie.

When you see a woman who’s selling her naked pictures or pictures of her feed to pay for her education, you don’t slut-shame her and bring on display. You support them in the way they decided to pursue their career and wish them all the best luck.

And should I say, when an editor of a sex-positive magazine shares a picture of her butt encouraging her fellow women to do the same and join the team, we should not write an entire article calling her a whore in so many ways.

After all, the female body is absolutely beautiful in all its sizes and shapes. So let’s make it clear for everyone.

As Jayne Moor once said,

Be the woman you needed as a girl.