There was an episode from The Steve Wilkos Show’s premiere season where the former Chicago cop and former Jerry Springer security guard confronted an out-of-control teenage girl. At one point, Steve asks her if she liked having the reputation as the neighborhood whore. Offended, the girl immediately snaps: “I’m not a whore! I’m a slut! There’s a difference!”

The above exchange has become a running gag between my younger sister and me. The girl’s comment was so ridiculous that we just had to giggle despite the situation’s severity. Yes, there is indeed a difference between whores and sluts. But, by my definition, you really don’t want to come across as a slut. At all.

Distinguishing between a whore and a slut can be tricky, similar to telling the difference between an alligator and a crocodile or an ape and a monkey. To the untrained eye, they’re the exact same thing, synonyms of each other. How could there ever be a difference, and a noticeable one at that, between a whore and a slut?

“Whore” and “slut” are terms almost always applied to women, particularly promiscuous ones. While they’re very similar behavior-wise, whores and sluts differ by their degree of promiscuity. Whores are often associated with prostitution. These women have many sexual partners, but they’re selling their bodies primarily for monetary gain, whether they actually want to be a prostitute or not.

Sluts, however, are willing to have sex with just about anything that moves. They’ll engage in dangerous sexual activities at a whim, all while only being concerned about pleasure. At least whores are both aware of the risks and are willing to protect themselves whenever they can. Even if a slut knows about the dangers of frequent unprotected sex, she’ll most likely not give a hoot about safety precautions pre-intercourse.

Doubtlessly, the word “whore” is thrown at women much more often than “slut.” Are you prostituting? You’re a whore. Were you caught cheating with your lover’s best friend? You’re a whore. Did you contract an STD, have an abortion, or appear on Maury Povich for a paternity test? Whore, whore, and big time whore. Although it is still considered derogatory against women, “whore” is tossed around so frequently that its ability to outright offend and insult has lessened over time. Nowadays, it is even as common to describe oneself as a “Starbucks whore” as it is to confess to being a “PMS bitch.”

“Slut,” conversely, is reserved for the whores that top all whores. Unlike “whore,” whose utterance now only annoys me, “slut” not only makes me cringe, but also causes my skin to crawl. Hell, just writing the word for this essay is making me cringe. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that if I see a porn title promising “[insert age or race here] slut(s)” or hear a man openly admitting to wanting to “find a slut to fuck” that I am automatically turned off. When a woman becomes a slut, she is no longer treated like a woman, let alone a human being. She becomes an object to abuse, and no one cares because nobody wants to associate with sluts.

There is also certainly more hope for a whore than a slut. Shelters and programs exist for aiding prostitutes/whores who want to escape their lifestyle. It’s generally understood that prostitutes are often trapped into the world’s oldest profession and need support. Sluts, on the other hand, don’t have such help from others, unless they willingly admit themselves to sexual rehab. Otherwise, the slut is abandoned by society, condemned for their activities.

With this in mind, would you act like the “Steve Wilkos” girl and proudly consider yourself a slut?

Thought so.

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