Plain and simple: Wattpad Rants
I've been on Wattpad for a while now, and I know there are plenty of these already, but I need to release some hot air.
So, after much pondering and debating, I've decided to add my very own rant book about Wattpad de...
TRIGGER WARNING: There may be some discussion about sexual assault, abuse, and rape because I need everyone to see how small problems like slut-shaming can snowball into harmful misinformation.
I had wanted to keep it at three parts, but the final bullet point got too long and was heavier, which is why I believe it deserves its own chapter. Technically, you can skip this part since it's more so a self-reflection and how slut-shaming shaped my personal experiences, but it does entail the entire reason I put so much effort into this topic, so it's recommended that you read.
So, onto the final part of this saga. Let's finish it.
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💠 My Experiences and What I Wish I Realised Long Ago
This is where I'll try to tie up everything I've discussed by bringing my personal experiences in.
Back when I first joined Wattpad (through a different account), I was introduced to a whole new category of books that I never even knew existed. I remember staying up the night to read book after popular book, gobbling up bad boy romances, werewolf romances, billionaire romances, etc. I remember internalising the main characters' quirks and being proud that the girls she saw as inferior were nothing like me.
To be honest, part of me regrets ever joining Wattpad. My obsession with the app warped my sense of identity and completely changed the way I regarded the world. It made me proud of who I was for all the wrong reasons, and I had a hardcore "I'm NoT LikE OtHeR gIrlS" phase that haunts me to this day. I was proud that I didn't wear makeup, that I hated dresses, that I hated anything "girly" like the colour pink and Barbie, and it made me feel superior to all the other "girly girls" in my school.
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⬆ (Just stop)
Anyway, I'm going to be very open here about my background. I practically grew up in a Christian school, I grew up in a Christian household, and I grew up going to church every single week. I don't want to bring religion into this, but I can't separate my experiences with this issue from the way I grew up. I am not bashing Christianity, and I am not discrediting any followers of Christ.
But, it must be acknowledged that Christian sex ed tends to be HARMFUL, not just because they advocate for abstinence until marriage (doing so will do nothing to dissuade teenagers that want to have sex), but because they indulge in the harmful ideas of purity culture. And by doing so, they completely disregard going over any safe method of actually having sex (how to avoid STDs, pregnancy, etc.). They act like having sex is the worst thing you can do and you will go to hell for it. And, at least for my school, they never even touch the topic of sexual assault (the closest to it being a discussion of consent by using the classic "do you give tea when your guest..." metaphor) and nothing to do with the aftermath should it have happened.
This is the reason I talked about purity culture in the point before. Not only do I think that purity culture is one of the biggest perpetrators and reasons for slut-shaming to exist, but it also completely warped my sense of self-worth and twisted my perception of boys and dating.
