As social media has taken over a vast majority of our lives in the past decade, a new term has appeared in our vocabulary: “slut shaming.” It is the act of making a woman feel guilty and/or inferior for not portraying herself in a manner that is accepted by society.

This has been around for many centuries. Women have always been told to present themselves in a specific way, especially towards men. If a woman were to step out of these boundaries set by society she would automatically be thought of as lesser, and would be given a “scarlet letter,” as described by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Today women are still taught these societal boundaries, though they are much different than those of the puritans. Society puts a lot of pressure on women; they have to worry about what they wear, how much they weigh, who they choose to be friends with and how they carry themselves. Men do not have these pressures.  This unequal balance between the genders is called a double standard.

Double standards impact every aspect of a woman’s life, especially in the realm of social media. Since social media has taken a prominent role in our lives in the past decade, news can spread more quickly than it did 20 years ago. Everyone knows what everyone is doing all the time. This viral spread has made shaming take place on a much larger level. Millions of people can voice their opinion about everything or anyone without any restrictions. An example of this involves a girl from Slane, Ireland. She  was seen doing inappropriate things with two different men at an Eminem concert. Videos and pictures were taken and posted onto various social media sites. Millions of people from around the world bashed the girl for her poor judgment; however, the males involved didn’t get any angry comments. Men do not have to face this type of public harassment on social media like a woman does. This is not the only case of shaming blown out of proportion due to social media. There are thousands of cases similar to this one that have damaged reputations and made life for these women more difficult.

This type of shaming does not only take place on social media, but in news media as well. For instance, Miley Cyrus’s performance with Robin Thicke at the VMAs was very controversial. The former Disney star put on what many called inappropriate and vulgar, and she was immediately labeled a slut. But, Thicke was never condemned for his role in the performance. The media covered the topic for weeks and blew the issue out of proportion.

Slut shaming has been an issue for many centuries, and is currently on the rise due to the increased use of technology.