Sluts: The truth about slutshaming and what we can do to fight it

by Beth Ashley

From award-winning journalist Beth Ashley comes a groundbreaking investigation into the history of slutshaming, how it continues to affect us today and what we can do to fight it.

Whore. Hoe. Jezebel. Harlot. Slut. Five words. One meaning.

But what exactly is a slut? How has the concept changed over time? And why is slutshaming so dangerous?

In this groundbreaking investigation, Beth Ashley reveals the truth about slutshaming, gives us the tools to fight it, and encourages us all to have better conversations about sex.

The fight starts now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Audiobook

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2024

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting book and thought provoking about sexuality and society expectations on sexuality too

[Shauni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was somewhat lacking rather than a 'groundbreaking investigation'. The history section in particular felt pretty weak. I think it's a bit reductive to say that Anne Boleyn was simply slutshamed. It reads like a padded out Buzzfeed article, strung together with examples from popular culture, which I guess is fine if you like that kind of thing, but I expected a bit more depth.

[lysosome12345 · Rating 2 out of 5]

few interesting parts but mostly unnecessary info dump, which i didn‘t expect like this from this book, but yea ig that‘s it

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have given multiple copies of this book to women I love and care about because it expertly explains the innermost anxieties we have about how the world unfairly chastises us for wanting to own our pleasure and sexuality. Sluts brilliantly unpicks and helps us to unlearn slut shaming we might have internalised, it also challenges our own understanding of how we might not unknowingly slut shame others and the impact that has on physical and mental health. I love that this book explores slut shaming beyond heterosexuality too. It's a truly inclusive book and having a copy on your shelf is a must!

[Lauren Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5!
Wouldn’t necessarily call it groundbreaking but good to have examples and factors in slutshaming collated together.
Extra points added because it was actually better as an audiobook!! I haven’t ever experienced that before but the author narrating it herself made it feel like it was more of a deep chat vibe than a pretty uncomfortable non fiction book topic.
Beth Ashley you do slay and this is such a cool book

[giantsnakehead · Rating 3 out of 5]

i agree with every point the author raised but this could have been a pamphlet instead of a full length book

[Chels Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sluts by Beth Ashley
Is a threat

As part of my reading quest - it has a rabbit cover = Chelsea reads it.

This is an absolutely wonderful sociology/ sex book about the societal impacts of sex, something (almost all) of us enjoy and get pleasure from & something at this point still needed to persevere the species, on a select few.

We follow the author as she explores she own Madonna/ whore persona, one given to her by others disregarding her truth, the prude vs the slut, the impacts of immigration, history, sexual preferences, gender, race, sex, and class have on who is characterized as a slut vs those who seem to have a divine right to sex.

This book spans history, is transnational, and transformative. Rather than focus on violence of the extreme kind it focuses more on the shame, the betrayals, the influence of social media, and the bias of our justice system and laws. Words! It follows the genesis of the word slut from a bad housekeeper to someone who enjoys and has lots of sex - which was coined by Shakespeare. It mixes celebrity, with journal articles and self help or actions to combat slutshaming and embrace one’s own sexuality. Truly it’s unique in this aspect, the quiet but constant drumming call of death to the patriarchy! By calling us to look at one very niche word and the impact it has on all of us. As Ashley said, “in a world where you can be anything … be a threat.”

This book is for anyone interested in society and sex, social Justice and class divides.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up, kind of middle of the road for me

[Annabel Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Having the sex I wanted felt like a form of justice and I couldn’t get that in the courtroom, an opportunity to reclaim my sexuality and figure out who I was. It was through casual sex that I learned how to have sex, what I liked and how to get the pleasure that I needed and deserved”

YES to this one! A very matter of fact, no nonsense approach to women being allowed to seek pleasure in a changing world where patriarchal and misogynistic tropes still dominate. An excellent debut!

No non-fiction is ever getting more than three stars from me and if I’m being a dick about it the audiobook reading of this by the author was lacklustre, at best, but it doesn’t really take away from the content and I’m really glad I gave this one a go.

[Alexander Palmer Reyes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beth Ashley’s Sluts presents itself as a manifesto for women’s sexual liberation, but the book is weakened by overgeneralization, ideological rigidity, and a persistent lack of empirical support. Ashley frequently relies on familiar tropes of victimization and patriarchy without offering new insight. On page 126, for instance, she presents subjective interpretations—such as the idea that “patriarchal norms always punish female desire”—as unquestionable facts. This tendency to elevate opinion to universal truth is one of the book’s central flaws.

Ashley also undermines her own message of freedom by invalidating women who choose celibacy, modesty, or traditional values. Rather than acknowledging these as legitimate choices, she implies that only “sluts” are truly liberated. This creates a troubling hierarchy of womanhood that contradicts the very tolerance she advocates. Compounding this is her repeated claim to speak on behalf of all women, a fallacy that flattens diverse experiences into one ideological narrative.

Her heavy invocation of patriarchy can border on mantra-like, leading to oversimplified claims. On page 140, she argues that patriarchy permits men’s sexual freedom but not women’s, ignoring the fact that the religious and conservative doctrines she associates with patriarchy actually discourage extramarital sex for both genders. Similarly, her political and economic arguments are often weak. On page 155, she claims that “without capitalism, there is no hierarchy and therefore no class,” overlooking the deep hierarchies documented in socialist and communist systems. Her assertions about state-run societies being more efficient are likewise contradicted by historical evidence.

Ashley’s treatment of marginalized communities is inconsistent and frequently unsupported. She idealizes Indigenous women (p.184) without evidence, asserts that slut-shaming is common among marginalized groups (p.189) without data, and even cites browsing Reddit as evidence (p.193). Her claims about queer communities are similarly imprecise, using shifting labels and presenting questionable evidence—such as a 1994 study claiming gay men do not have more sex than straight men (p.222), a claim that contradicts the lived experience of many gay men.

Some arguments simply stretch too far. Linking slut-shaming to erectile dysfunction (p.234) lacks substantiation. Declaring sexual pleasure a “human right” (p.239) raises ethical contradictions—for instance, whether refusing consent would then violate someone’s rights. Her suggestion to “snatch conservative newspapers” from one’s grandmother (p.228) contradicts her stated commitment to liberation by advocating the suppression of opposing viewpoints.

Ultimately, Sluts feels less like an exploration of sexual stigma and more like an attempt to advance a sweeping ideological agenda. What the book never acknowledges is value-pluralism: that people hold different moral frameworks, and that these differences do not inherently constitute oppression. Instead of being angry at views that differ from her own, Ashley might benefit from recognizing that true liberation comes not from forcing others to share her values, but from refusing to let the beliefs of others dictate her happiness.

[cypher · Rating 2 out of 5]

first, the message is not new, many, many books have been written about the same topic previously, especially recently, and this is very similar (for example, by using references connected the fake witch trials accusations...it's very, very similar to other books). second, i felt it was a bit repetitive and veering too much off course over and over (what sex is, or consent, for example...a bit unnecessary), like it was being fluffed up for the length, trying to tell you about all the basics, when the more "advanced" part had too few pages.
one thing i did not like a lot was the author's criticism regarding nude censorship online (criticising google search, for example), i actually think censorship like that is good (you can always control the settings, on most platforms, especially google search), i don't think children should just have easy access to pornographic material just because some people wish to have their content found to get better traffic metrics.

i also found it funny how the author is trying to promote not using "slut" for women, but somehow ended up using it for some man at some point in the book, calling him "a big slut"...and then it happens again, and again with more men in the examples :)

i've read some good books about feminism, but i did not find this to particularly stand out.

[Katie :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rating this a little higher than I probably should, because I love the concept, and anyone talking positively about sex and sluts is good. But this was an easy read - too easy. I too love being nerdy about sex, I love sex research and exploring new views. However, as a feminist and a slut, there was very, very little new content here. This is not ground-breaking. It reads like it should be targeting 17-18 year olds, with tidbits of empowering affirmations and advice; and way too many pop culture references/halfway media analyses.

If you're looking for that empowerment and advice, this is a great little book to have or gift. And the resources in it are one of the best parts. Lots of sex-positive and educational organisations, social media accounts and podcasts were name-dropped.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book I’ve read on slutshaming and I think it was a great starting point. I felt a few of the points could have gone into more detail and there was a bit of repetitiveness but on the whole really interesting and I’d definitely like to read more in this genre. Also has a really good further reading list at the back.

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - digestible and interesting but nothing groundbreaking. writing sometimes a bit cringe

[Harry Gilliatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and vital book by a phenomenal writer.

[Beth Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this and I liked it 👀