Chances are that you are getting it all wrong.

In this eye-opening new work, slut-shaming expert Leora Tanenbaum explains that when we criticize young women for wearing body-revealing outfits and sharing sexy selfies, we are losing the plot.

The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.

Young people are sick of being held responsible for others’ inability to keep their eyes off their bodies. They explain that most of the time, they aren’t even trying to sexualize themselves—and, when they do, they are taking control over their bodily autonomy and standing up for themselves.

Tanenbaum demonstrates that “sexy” does not mean “inviting sex,” and that when young women and nonbinary people embrace a sexualized aesthetic or post sexy pictures, they do so on their own terms.

In choosing to wear body-revealing clothing and posting sexy selfies, young people are taking a stand for themselves and against three pillars of nonconsensual sexualization that shape their daily lives:

Gendered dress codes, which allow teachers and administrators to scrutinize and comment on girls’ bodies;

Nonconsensual sharing of intimate images (“revenge porn” and “deepfakes”), which portray girls and women as sexual objects deserving of public humiliation;

The aftermath of sexual harassment and assault, when victims are told—still today, even after #MeToo—that they were “asking for it.”

There’s nothing wrong with taking and sharing intimate pictures. There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about one’s body. Everyone should be able to stand up for themselves, experience a sense of bodily autonomy, and shape and share their image on their own terms.

If you like cultural criticism that supports women of all identities, then you'll love Sexy Selfie Nation.

Leora Tanenbaum began researching and writing about slut-shaming before the term even existed. Her first book, Slut! Growing Up Female With a Bad Reputation, is regarded as a significant contribution to feminist thought and the foundational text on slut-shaming. She has written for The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, New York Daily News, The Nation, and U.S. News & World Report and has been a guest on Oprah, The Today Show, Nightline, Bill Maher, Fox News, MSNBC, and National Public Radio.

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