Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Dirty slut in p6 school reading book!?

29 replies

Iamlora88 · 18/05/2016 11:15

I need some advice from other mums. DD class has been reading The Suitcase Kid ny Jaqueline Wilson. There's a line in it when someone calls a character a dirty slut. No wi get that this is a children's book but there's no room for the word slut in a class dull of ten year olds. DD told me and showed me the book and I asked her what the word meant and she told me it's the worst word you could ever call a girl. We left it at that. DD wants me to bring it up with her teacher and I do too but I'm not sure how to address it with the school without going all crazy raging feminist on them. Ten year olds shouldn't have words like that introduced into their vocabulary and that fact that the word is basically about shaming women for enjoying lots of sex (to put it very lightly) makes it even worse. If it was just a normal swear word I could let it slide but the word slut is so damaging and shaming and I'd hate to thing that they're all running around the playground calling each other dirty sluts! If anyone can help me draft an email it'd be much appreciated.

OP posts:
MyCrispBag · 18/05/2016 17:57

Incidentally I agree with lalalonglegs on this.

The problem for the OP doesn't seem to be the context (I actually read that book when I was a kid but can't remember this particular part) but the presumption that this word will be new to the children the book is being read to.

MyCrispBag · 18/05/2016 17:51

Ten year olds shouldn't have words like that introduced into their vocabulary

I completely agree but I the odds that it's only now being introduced to them (through the book) is unfortunately very unlikely.

I'd hate to thing that they're all running around the playground calling each other dirty sluts

Again at age 10 they are perfectly capable of coming up with more damaging insults than that with no help from teacher.

lalalonglegs · 18/05/2016 12:22

I generally think Jacqueline Wilson writes really well for her target age group. I think I would need the context to make a judgment on this one - eg, is the person using the word trying to humiliate the person it is used against (so JW is showing how strong an insult it is) or is it used in quite a flippant way and, if so, is JW illustrating casual misogyny? She has always struck me as a very talented and sensitive writer.

NinjaTwat · 18/05/2016 11:55

Haven't you posted in chat as well?