I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed only a few bathrooms on campus that have graffiti in the stalls, and the only place I've noticed that has extensive graffiti is Lind hall, home to both the English department, including their TA offices and student groups, and the College of Science and Engineering, including their advising and student groups. Interesting mix, no? The result is some interesting graffiti with great literary quotes, math jokes, feminist declarations, and a few initial-filled hearts too. But the other day, I noticed an interesting group of scribbling that I thought particularly applied to the class and decided to document it for the blog.
There's a lot going on in this chart. Of those responding, 60% are decidedly virgins, 40% non-virgins (did you notice that there is no word for some one who isn't a virgin?) and 8% wish to say "Hell no" to virginity. The statistics seem to say the reverse of what pop culture would say about college students; apparently, the majority of those frequenting this bathroom are not actively engaging in sex. Furthermore, those that most certainly are active have been labeled "sluts" and "hoe(s)."
Why do you think someone decided to start this chart? Why are we curious about each other's virginity? What do these numbers tell you? What role are fellow women playing in the sex/gender/desire matrix when they call each other sluts?
I think it probably has something to do with the need for approval from peers, but this medium has the advantage of commenters being anonymous. Sex has moved beyond simple reproduction and has become a social tool used to classify people (virgin or slut), thus telling the individual how they are perceived, if that perception of themselves is desirable and how to interact with others.
As to why women would call each other sluts is kind of strange. Maybe it has something to do with competition. Interestingly enough, the few times I've talked about the sexual activity of other women, women tend to be more judgmental and men tend to be more lenient towards these people. It would be interesting to do a study on how people of different statuses (race, gender, class) perceive "virgins" vs. "sluts".