I recently received a comment on my last column that made me laugh. After reading my article on anal sex, a 30-something woman discerned that I was “cheap and easy” and actually posted the words, “I am ashamed for your parents,” to our online edition.

Naturally, her comment rolled off me like water on a duck’s back.

While I sincerely doubt she did much thinking prior to posting or utilized any brainpower that day, her comment struck a chord within me.

“Cheap and easy?” She couldn’t have been more wrong. I can assure you that I am anything but cheap; my boyfriend can vouch for my expensive taste and spending habits.

However, this comment got me thinking. Provided that I had fit all of these woman’s overzealous labels, it shouldn’t matter to her. After all, even if I was a modern-day Mary Magdalene, who was she to judge me?

In era dedicated to female empowerment, why do women continue to ‘slut-shame’ one another?

Anthropologically speaking, the practice of ‘slut-shaming’ or promiscuous prejudice served a purpose in evolutionary competition. In contrast to men who competed for mates primarily through physical means, women resorted to indirect social aggression.

Evolutionary psychologist Anne Campbell explained, “Because of women’s role in childbearing and rearing, they are less expendable than men and couldn’t risk injury by settling disputes with their fists.”

Social exclusion and gossip allowed women to compete without jeopardizing their physical wellbeing. Therefore, they took to damaging the reputations of their perceived competition. They talked to both men and other women specifically about sexual transgressions. Women policed their peers’ behavior and condemned them to make them appear less attractive to the opposite sex.

From the cave to modern day, studies show that we’re still as competitive as ever.

A study from McMaster University in Canada concluded that women are more inclined to be outwardly hostile toward women they consider promiscuous.

To measure participants’ behavior, Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt and her research assistant Aanchal Sharma, observed 86 heterosexual women, who were paired off and told that they were participating in a study about female friendship.

During the study, a modestly dressed but attractive woman with her blond hair in a bun, known as the ‘conservative confederate,’ would interrupt the two friends. Then, the same woman would do the exact same thing to the other half of the group’s participants. However, the second time she dressed in a low-cut shirt, short skirt, and boots. She also wore her hair down. This woman was known as the ‘sexy confederate.’

The participants’ reactions were rated on a ‘bitchiness scale.’ Experimenters rated the participants’ body language such as eye rolling, glaring, eyeing the girl up and down, and laughing sarcastically.  In one case, the sexy confederate hadn’t even cleared the room before a study participant made an audible and rude comment.

Overall, the women were much more accepting of the conservative interrupter. In fact, even though she was the same person, participants were three times more likely to introduce the conservatively dressed woman to their boyfriend than her sexy alter ego. 

Recognizing its role in cultures around the world, scientists and historians consider this practice as a part of human nature. Although I understand that social persecution has been used as an effective tool to shape human behavior for centuries, I think we have taken it too far.

It’s important that we acknowledge the implications of our actions, and especially if we consider young adults. A British study conducted between 2000 and 2008 concluded that more than half of teen suicides over the eight-year period were a result of bullying. Females accounted for 65 percent of these deaths.

For some families, these numbers hit hard.

While slut shaming is not directly responsible for these statistics, several cases involving sexual accusations have caught national attention in the last five years.

For example, in 2012 15-year-old Audrie Pott of California killed herself after three boys at a party allegedly sexually assaulted her. A photo from that night was circulated to her classmates and rumors spread. Classmates bullied her and implied that she wanted the attack.

In conclusion, whether you’re a man or a woman, calling someone a slut is wrong and ultimately futile. As a firm believer in the idea that that your sex life is your business, I urge you to keep such comments to yourself. Focus on improving yourself as a person and building others up.

In the words of Thumper’s mother, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”