Thot: Acronym for “That Hoe Over There”, or “Thirsty Hoe Over There”. A term made popular by hip hop/rap culture, which particularly targets females who are known to be a little extra promiscuous and who do not hold themselves, or their bodies, in high respects. But let’s get a little deeper. -Ola'i Wildeboar
Who knows where the term actually came from, or why it became so popular, but somehow it has transformed into an exact profile for a type of girl you see at parties, or around town, or in your friend groups. Described as the kind who gets a little too drunk, who loudly expresses her need for attention, who wears too high of heels or too short of shorts, who cakes her face in make-up, who complains about having to pay for her own drinks, who buys clothes that went out of style months ago, who doesn’t keep her body kept up or in figure, but most commonly, who is seen with a multitude of sexual partners in a short period of time.
But why do we create these specifically degrading titles for people we most likely hardly know? Why is having a little too much fun put you into a category of ‘untouchable’? “Oh, don’t get with her, she a thot.” “She only hangs with other thotties.” “She can only get d*ck from guys who don’t know she a thot.” Who determines these thotties? Who decides how much d*ck is too much? How is calling a girl a thot any different than saying ‘whore’ or ‘slut’, which are supposedly much more insulting comments? Isn’t this word just another form of encouragement for an already over-abundant misogynistic culture?
When asked to describe, or define a ‘thot’, the general high school consensus was a person, usually female, who over-zealously participates in lots of sexual interaction with lots of partners, but could be diminished to something as simple as lacking originality and desperate for attention—or exploded into something as extreme and appalling as “a b*tch who throws her p*ssy from New Hampshire to New Mexico.” Those who claim to use the term say they use it playfully, like a jab to their close friends, or towards someone whose actions they legitimately don’t agree with. Although, all of them agreed that this is a term you can’t just throw around loosely. To ‘spot a thot’, you have to have reason and evidence, beyond just seeing the subject talking to multiple people, or wearing clothes often associated with thotties, because a girl could easily just be the flirty type, and misunderstood by her peers. People usually get deemed thot when they are the subject of multiple rumors about their sexual actions, or when they “f**k your whole squad” (i.e. sleep with everyone in a certain friend circle). Because of this term requiring such a basis for use, most interviewees said that if they were called a thot, they would feel offended and lame, or would be pushed to reflect on their own actions, to see why someone would give them this title. One girl said that being called a thot is “like being the last person picked for sports teams in elementary school.”
Why this word is so popular? What is this word is perpetuating in our culture? Most students interviewed said this word was sexist, though this fact is willingly overlooked by their classmates as well as media and celebrities. Artists like OB OBRIEN, Drake, TK N Ca$H, and The Game have all made songs about thots, and titled as such. The word likely became popular from people’s recently blossoming obsession with acronyms, as well as the long term love for words which put down women. Its hard for us girls to live in a world where every possible insult in some way relates to being female, as if thats the worst possible thing one could call someone. Meanwhile, men who like to consistently get dirty have no equivalent title, except perhaps "man-whore", which is still a sexist term. Though many of my subjects seemed to agree that the reason there is no proper term for a guy of this kind is because every man is a thot. They're expected to be sleazy and exceptionally horny—many will even be praised for it. Yet if a girl does it, its a big ol 'no-no', and they will be labeled demeaningly.
The unfortunate truth of this word is it is perpetuating insecurity in young girls as well as enforcing the hierarchy set between genders. Slang like this continues to make women seem like an object for pleasure, with no allowance to make choices for themselves, without most people even knowing it. Hopefully, one day the world can break down the wall of sexism our society has built up and allow women the freedom to be who they want and do what they want. ANd maybe we can also accustom ourselves to a more gender-neutral insult vocabulary, and be aware of what kind of effect the things we say have on each other and our culture.
But why do we create these specifically degrading titles for people we most likely hardly know? Why is having a little too much fun put you into a category of ‘untouchable’? “Oh, don’t get with her, she a thot.” “She only hangs with other thotties.” “She can only get d*ck from guys who don’t know she a thot.” Who determines these thotties? Who decides how much d*ck is too much? How is calling a girl a thot any different than saying ‘whore’ or ‘slut’, which are supposedly much more insulting comments? Isn’t this word just another form of encouragement for an already over-abundant misogynistic culture?
When asked to describe, or define a ‘thot’, the general high school consensus was a person, usually female, who over-zealously participates in lots of sexual interaction with lots of partners, but could be diminished to something as simple as lacking originality and desperate for attention—or exploded into something as extreme and appalling as “a b*tch who throws her p*ssy from New Hampshire to New Mexico.” Those who claim to use the term say they use it playfully, like a jab to their close friends, or towards someone whose actions they legitimately don’t agree with. Although, all of them agreed that this is a term you can’t just throw around loosely. To ‘spot a thot’, you have to have reason and evidence, beyond just seeing the subject talking to multiple people, or wearing clothes often associated with thotties, because a girl could easily just be the flirty type, and misunderstood by her peers. People usually get deemed thot when they are the subject of multiple rumors about their sexual actions, or when they “f**k your whole squad” (i.e. sleep with everyone in a certain friend circle). Because of this term requiring such a basis for use, most interviewees said that if they were called a thot, they would feel offended and lame, or would be pushed to reflect on their own actions, to see why someone would give them this title. One girl said that being called a thot is “like being the last person picked for sports teams in elementary school.”
Why this word is so popular? What is this word is perpetuating in our culture? Most students interviewed said this word was sexist, though this fact is willingly overlooked by their classmates as well as media and celebrities. Artists like OB OBRIEN, Drake, TK N Ca$H, and The Game have all made songs about thots, and titled as such. The word likely became popular from people’s recently blossoming obsession with acronyms, as well as the long term love for words which put down women. Its hard for us girls to live in a world where every possible insult in some way relates to being female, as if thats the worst possible thing one could call someone. Meanwhile, men who like to consistently get dirty have no equivalent title, except perhaps "man-whore", which is still a sexist term. Though many of my subjects seemed to agree that the reason there is no proper term for a guy of this kind is because every man is a thot. They're expected to be sleazy and exceptionally horny—many will even be praised for it. Yet if a girl does it, its a big ol 'no-no', and they will be labeled demeaningly.
The unfortunate truth of this word is it is perpetuating insecurity in young girls as well as enforcing the hierarchy set between genders. Slang like this continues to make women seem like an object for pleasure, with no allowance to make choices for themselves, without most people even knowing it. Hopefully, one day the world can break down the wall of sexism our society has built up and allow women the freedom to be who they want and do what they want. ANd maybe we can also accustom ourselves to a more gender-neutral insult vocabulary, and be aware of what kind of effect the things we say have on each other and our culture.
