Slut-shaming matters because when people are dismissed as sluts, hoes, and thots, they are denied care and compassion as human beings and in a variety of situations, including when they are sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, victimized by image-based sexual abuse ("revenge porn" and "deepfakes"), and need an abortion.
Naked dress at the Grammys
The Latest on Slut-Shaming + Bodily Autonomy
February 12, 2025
Was the transparent dress worn to the 2025 Grammys by Bianca Censori, the wife of Kanye West, or Ye, empowering or degrading? This is a question only she can decide.
For context, Rose McGowan said years later that she wore an ultra-revealing dress to the 1998 MTV VMAs to take back a sense of ownership of her body after being sexually assaulted by film mogul Harvey Weinstein. For her, wearing that dress was part of her healing process. Yet, at the time, many people condemned her.
I’ve spoken with thousands of teenage girls and young women about their experiences with being sexually objectified and assaulted. Like McGowan, many have told me that wearing sexy outfits is a positive, even joyful, response to the harmful sexual attention they receive every day—a way of taking back a sense of control that had been stolen from them.
But while someone may feel an enhanced sense of individual power by wearing a body-revealing outfit, she may cause others to feel a diminished sense of power—for example, if other women then feel pressured to wear less clothing when they may prefer to be more covered up.
We need a nuanced understanding of “empowerment,” and we should keep in mind that empowerment operates on both individual and systemic levels. A revealing outfit can help one person heal, but simultaneously it may cause others to feel they possess fewer choices.
There's an additional conversation we need to have about the naked dress—how it benefits Ye while diminishing Censori.
USA Today asked me if I thought that Censori and Ye were trying to make a statement. I answered that I doubt their objective was to make a statement about women’s bodies or sexuality but to elevate Ye at Censori's expense. After all, a woman revealing her body in public is hardly earth-stopping news, and Censori has worn next to nothing many times previously.
To my mind, the naked dress was a strategic move to benefit Ye at the expense of his wife. Censori’s nudity shifted attention toward her body and away from Ye's identity as someone with a history of odious, hate-filled comments and behavior. (He spewed a fresh batch of revolting public comments about Jews as recently as three days ago.) Remember, Ye has made many harmful anti-Black, antisemitic, and anti-women statements. Diverting attention from his behavior while showcasing his identity as an alpha male with a sexy wife serves only his advantage.
We don't know if Censori was a passive or active participant in the naked dress stunt. Regardless, in our culture of slut-shaming, it can be challenging for women to feel comfortable with their bodies. If they wear revealing clothes, it’s practically inevitable they will be called out for being sluts or hoes. But when they cover up, they’re still called out for being sluts and hoes. So if they’re going to be slut-shamed no matter what, why not have some fun and wear whatever they want?
Just as long as they are the ones making the decision and aren’t being pressured into it.
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“Boys will be boys, and girls will be sluts.” — Leora Tanenbaum
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