What does the word SLUT mean to you? The meaning of words can change as time passes, over the past six centuries it has referred to men, women, dogs, and even light fixtures. It has meant slovenly, amoral and sexually promiscuous. It has been a noun, a verb, and an adjective.

The earliest use of the word slut was in Geoffery Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, “Why is thy lord so sluttish …” Showing us that in the 14th century the word was used to refer to men, however later on the word becomes more or less exclusively used to describe women. In modern times, from the Cambridge Dictionary to the Urban Dictionary the meaning of slut all point towards a women who is free about her sexuality and preferences, and depending on how you use it it can be negative, or positive in some cases. If one person wants to use the word to shame, it is entirely possible for the meaning of the word to be twisted into a positive light. For some people this has become a mission to reclaim the word to remove the sting from it and attempt to twist the meaning further into a positive light, to empower women and highlight the right we should all have of freedom of choice in our sexual behaviour. Notably the SlutWalk movement, which originated in Toronto in 2011 as a response to victim-blaming in sexual assault cases. Feminist activists rallied around a local police officer's statement that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised," and the first walk to raise awareness about rape culture began.

In it's original meaning of course slut is used to disparage women and shame them, however a redefinition is taking place, that a slut is simply a woman who has freedom and confidence in her choices sexually and is unapologetically practising what she loves. As a slang term the word is slippery, but this also gives us freedom in the way that we want to use it and which meanings we would like to attach to it. 

At JoyBear we believe in empowerment and freedom for everyone in their sexual choices, so we are thrilled to reveal our upcoming feature SLUT:ish. Made up of five erotic episodes SLUT:ish follows two very different girls as they enjoy freedom and confidence in their erotic adventures, seeking out their bliss and not being afraid to say what they love.

Jane Jones is Kylie, who just wants to fuck 'the one', whereas her best friend Bea, Julia de Lucia, wants to fuck everyone.

Despite their differences these two girls accept and celebrate one another, both free and confident in their own ways to explore what gives them pleasure. The film also explores whether these two contrasting personalities can learn something from each other's sexual styles to take their amorous encounters to new levels...

I would love to hear from readers about what the word slut means to you, exploring it for this blog has certainly made me think about my feelings for the word...

Stay safe, have fun, Issy x