The case of a pregnant 16 year old being refused a place in a private Catholic school in Munster has caused widespread shock and disgust. The issue came to light in a report from the Ombudsman for Children’s rights.
The only way the horrific so-called “slut-shaming” that the young woman at the centre of the #Slanegirl incident can be understood, is as a product of the proliferation of sexist objectification of women and the commodification of women’s bodies pushed by corporations and the mass media in the recent period. In the light of the warped and sometimes hateful portrayal of women and women’s sexuality that capitalism has promoted in various guises throughout its history.