Two So-Called Sluts, Two Deaths, Only One Uproar


The Huffington Post, April 13, 2010

In recent months, two high school girls were relentlessly harassed as "sluts" by their peers in school and committed suicide as a result -- Hope Witsell in rural Florida and now Phoebe Prince in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The Prince case has led to criminal charges and tremendous international media attention.

As one who personally experienced slut-bashing when I was in high school in the 1980s, and who has spent the last decade writing and speaking about girls nationwide who are ostracized as "sluts," I'm relieved by this wake-up call. Finally, slut-bashing is being taken seriously as a form of harassment -- by schools and by the courts.

Yet at the same time, I am curious to know: why has Prince's death elicited a far stronger reaction than Witsell's? Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has even stepped in, berating school officials for not protecting Prince. Meanwhile, to date no one has so strongly pointed a finger at school administrators at Witsell's school, nor have there been criminal charges brought in her case.

To continue reading this essay, click here.

BLOG POSTS
Topless Women at SlutWalk Demand Respect: Is This the Right Tactic?
Wear Comfortable Shoes! Long Lines at Met's McQueen Exhibit
The Challenge of Women's Leadership in Orthodox Jewish Communities
How to Wear High-Heeled Shoes and Walk at the Same Time
Kitten Heels? Meow!
Refugees Are Normal People
Take Off Those Flip-Flops! And 5 Other Essential Summer Shoe Tips
Shoes Wisely: 10 Smart Shoe Shopping Tips for the Ladies
Our Stripper Shoes, Ourselves
Put Down That Armadillo Shoe! Don't Be a Shoe Dupe
Two So-Called Sluts, Two Deaths, Only One Uproar
Girl-Bashing & Its Consequences
Will the Real Islam Please Stand Up?
A Rabbi is Not a "Rabbi" in the Jewish Orthodox Twilight Zone
How to Get an Op-Ed Published in The New York Times
Take Your Hand Off My Bible
Religious Enough for You? Women Light the Holiday Fires
Transgender Professor at Yeshiva U.-- Mazel Tov!
Feet are a Feminist Issue
Anti-Abortion Protesters Block the Liberty Bell
Nice Jewish Girl Attends Jum'a Before Shabbat
A Gay Conservative Rabbi Is Coming to a Synagogue Near You-- Or Not
Your Pill is Safer Because of Her
Boys Gone Wild at Giants Stadium, Gate D
What Not to Wear: Wendy Shalit Goes Deep Into Your Closet
Goodbye, F-Word; Hello, 'Women's Lib'
Christopher Hitchens to God: Drop Dead
BOOKS
Bad Shoes & The Women Who Love Them
"The woman who exposed slut-bashing, cat-fighting, and God-reclaiming takes on women's masochistic relationship with their feet. Run (while you still can) to your nearest bookstore and save your sole." - Jennifer Baumgardner, author of Look Both Ways and Manifesta
Taking Back God: American Women Rising Up for Religious Equality
"The most comprehensive overview of the status of women and religion I've read. It chronicles the harm religion can do to both men and women, but also holds out a promise of radiant hope."
--Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy for God
Slut! Growing Up Female With a Bad Reputation
“An eye-opening book.”
--Redbook
Catfight: Rivalries Among Women--From Diets to Dating, From the Boardroom to the Delivery Room
“Incisive exploration of a long-taboo subject--how and why women sabotage one another.”
--Gail Sheehy

Quick Links

Book Leora for a Speaking Event
Contact my incredible literary agent, Jennifer Lyons
Find Authors