Stop Slut-Shaming Rihanna

Chris Brown, Drake and others have taunted the singer over her alleged sexual escapades. Michael Arceneaux explains in a piece for Ebony why they need to stop. Suggested Reading Inside the Explosive Delineation Debate Picking Apart Black Folk’s Identity, History, and Who ‘Belongs’  Why Teyana Taylor’s Latest Role Has Folks Comparing Her to Halle Berry…

Chris Brown, Drake and others have taunted the singer over her alleged sexual escapades. Michael Arceneaux explains in a piece for Ebony why they need to stop.

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Meanwhile, as for everyone else so fixated on this notion that there’s a problem with the way Rihanna carries herself and brought this attention on herself: grow up. She could have Mother Teresa’s sex life and would bring about the “starlet or streetwalker” debate from any man with a certain attitude about women and sex.

To “slut shame” is to perpetuate the idea that sex is dirty, and in particular, dirty and dangerous for a woman. That rigid mindset is problematic as it is unrealistic and does little in the way of advancing the way we discuss consensual sex between adults. You know, any day now.

To that end, the sooner you realize that this attitude hurts men and women in varying instances, the quicker you’ll see what’s wrong with Chris Brown and Drake’s shortsighted shade.

Read Michael Arceneaux’s entire piece at  Ebony.

The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.

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