Overcoming Slut Shaming

Inner Archeology with Sarah Turner & Emily Pennystone

Shame, we’ve all faced it, some more often than others.

It must be because of something we wear, something someone said, or for another reason – but it definitely ends up affecting our lives…

In this new episode of Inner Archeology, we look at all things shame, why it sucks, and how you can turn it into a positive thing to achieve complete exploration of your body and sexuality, unlock your life and live it to the fullest.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Talking over others has been a constant in Sarah’s family… Just think that, when she was 6, her sister once stood up on a chair (at a restaurant!) to try to get a word in.
• You want to feel comfortable in your own skin, you want to look and feel beautiful, sensual, and sexy, because you are!
• Women need to cover themselves to avoid teasing men because they can’t control themselves? Screw that! This idea of covering up because “the body is sinful and shameful” comes from puritanical thinking and purity culture but it doesn’t have to define you.
• It’s a fact: we’ve hypersexualized the female body. Think about going around with no bra because it’s so hot outside or about people getting offended by a woman breastfeeding her baby because we’ve oversexualized breasts. #ItMakesNoSense
• What comes to mind when you think about your puberty? That’s when everything changed: you started to look and feel different, you began to get attention from men… It’s when we start to be treated differently (and often not in a good way).
• Have you experienced a big trauma during your puberty because of comments about your body made by family members, getting inappropriate attention from college guys, and not feeling safe? We can relate.
• Boys need to be taught better so that they can have more respect for women and their bodies. And YES, the whole “you were asking for it” culture is BS.
• Being afraid to say no to a guy just because you’re afraid he could become aggressive or turn violent is a real thing, though there shouldn’t be room for it in this world!
• For centuries, women were someone else’s “property” (just think about arranged marriages for political or economical reasons). But that stops now: your body is yours, and only yours to own.
• Have you ever been called a ‘slut’? If so, you can probably remember it… For Sarah, it was at the end of high school and going into college. It was devastating at first but she managed to reclaim the word and turn it into something positive.
• Let’s talk about shame. It sucks because it holds you back from experiencing true pleasure in your own body, from dressing sexy, and from pursuing something just because others don’t think you should.
• Have you ever noticed that the shame you're experiencing typically doesn’t originate from within you, but comes from the outside?
• Think about it: when you’re feeling ashamed, you’re giving your power away… stop that!
• Yes, we (women) can be hypocrites – just think about women judging other women. They can be fine with a gay man wearing something without judging him but if another woman wears that… oh boy, here comes the negative comments!
• The world is a much better place because of all those different expressions of diversity so don’t be afraid or judgmental just because you would want someone to be or do something “more like you.”

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Inner Archeology Email

Sarah Turner on Instagram

Emily Pennystone on Instagram

InnerArcheology.com

InnerArcheology.tv (video version)

patreon.com/InnerArcheology