Fresher’s Week: Love Island’s Maura Higgins Revealed Our Generation’s Increasing Slut-Shaming, and What to Do about it
If you watched Love Island this year, you’ll have come across the love/hate figure of Maura Higgins. A “bombshell” contestants of the fifth season, she caused waves with her often brash, confident and sexually liberating disposition. Many people praised Higgins for knowing what she wants (love and sex) and her no-bullshit attitude. But here’s a question to ponder this freshers’ week: why did so many critics also continually attack her for being a woman who clearly likes and wants sex? The slut-shaming reaction to Higgins is a sign of the precarious times our generation faces.
Even in 2019, sexually free women draw ire because men are considered more sexual and “horny” in heterosexual relationships. We seem to forget that most women can, and should, enjoy sex if they choose to have it. Gone are the days (I hope) where women are merely objects for men’s sexual desire and release. Surely, everyone now understands that women want pleasure during sex too. Yet, why do women like Higgins upset and scare us so much?
Partially, conservative, traditional morals tell us that we should either not have sex or talk about it if we do. I’ve found that this embarrassment over discussing sex to be an overwhelmingly British trait. But we cannot deny that men and “locker-room talk” do not face nearly as much criticism as women who discuss their sexual exploits openly. This is slut-shaming, without a doubt; women who’ve slept with multiple men face more stigma than men who’ve slept with hundreds of women. Even in comparatively liberal countries like the UK and US.
As a society, we have made strides to minimise slut-shaming and embrace sex as a natural part of many people’s lives. But there is clearly a paradoxical regression in the progress we’ve made since the free love movement of the 1960s.
Does hardship cause slut shaming?
Sex is safer than ever, with ever-improving contraception to prevent STIs and pregnancy, and more education over what sex means, how to conduct it and how to make it enjoyable for all parties. Yet, studies show that young millennials and “Gen Z-ers” are having less sex than their predecessors. Despite these technological and societal advancements.
Perhaps there is another facet to the shame and criticism that Maura Higgins, and countless other women, face. We encounter so much more anxiety about the housing market, finding jobs and finding love, than our parents’ or grandparents’ generation. For many people under thirty, sex is no longer on our radar. Seeing this reminds us of what we’re missing and the priorities we’ve been forced to make. These are problems that celebrities like Maura Higgins don’t face in their day-to-day lives.
Does any of this mean that no one at all is having sex or enjoying it as it should be enjoyed? Evidently not. So, why should we vilify and blame someone else for their sexual desire, regardless of whether we ourselves are participating in sex and sexual desires in general?
Sex is completely natural. If you want to do it in a consensual and enjoyable manner, then nothing should stop you. Not even random Twitter trolls who think that sleeping with five people – as Maura Higgins has – is “way too many”. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
Would you like to write a reply? Email the opinion editor at david.dahlborn.13 [at] ucl.ac.uk
