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Asking their readers what they think makes someone a slut did not go as well as they thought it would. While they've explained that they didn't intend to cause offence, we still suspect they're like this now:
The backlash has been something spectacular, both on Facebook and Twitter.
To put it mildly, Grazia SA's readers think that you shouldn't call women sluts, or to encourage others to slut shame, and they called Grazia SA out on it:
Er, @GRAZIASAmag, what's up with the sex-shaming here? What century are Y'ALL living in? Cc @media24 pic.twitter.com/4OtcJ2fSBq
— Lauren Hess (@LaurenH_ZA) July 17, 2014.@GRAZIASAmag Don't you think there are enough misogynistic guy magazines? As a woman's magazine, encouraging slut shaming is disgraceful.
— SA Feminists (@SA_feminists) July 17, 2014.@GRAZIASAmag If adults wants to be seductive, dress "prevocatively", fuck many people consensually, they can & they've done nothing wrong.
— Tauriq Moosa (@tauriqmoosa) July 17, 2014What @GRAZIASAmag? You serious? From being 'inspired by Jess Foord' to whipping up some slut-shaming action? Classy pic.twitter.com/6XdEBfLlL3
— Patrick Hyland (@uberfiend) July 17, 2014I'm not conforming to patriarchal notions of status and respectability, need to check with @GRAZIASAmag if that makes me a slut.
— HRH Gugu Mhlungu (@GugsM) July 17, 2014@GRAZIASAmag can we rather just not call girls sluts?!
— daisy blue (@magueritee) July 16, 2014@GRAZIASAmag How about we just let people do what they want without shaming them? @sboshmafu
— Nicole von St Ange (@nicolevonvon) July 17, 2014@GRAZIASAmag O_o pic.twitter.com/3nqhw46rBi
— AvoMan (@Unavengedavo) July 17, 2014That @GRAZIASAmag question. http://t.co/Khw0wmGPBf
— Quinton Bronkhorst (@qornea) July 17, 2014.@GRAZIASAmag SERIOUSLY!?! pic.twitter.com/85bSnFjR3A
— WarrenK 2.0 (@MrSmithMachine) July 17, 2014
Grazia has since issued an apology, sort of:
Twitter's not convinced.
@dorothyblack @SA_feminists @GRAZIASAmag inverted commas or proper explanation in original tweet would make this reply more convincing.
— Brendon Bosworth (@BrendonBosworth) July 17, 20141. @GraziaSAmag poses offensive question 2. Issues an "apology," which buttresses their evident bias 3. No. pic.twitter.com/ttdFsqV0pD
— Tilly (@MaS1banda) July 17, 2014You could've asked this @GRAZIASAmag: Why are sexually active women still shamed? Why only women?
— Lauren Hess (@LaurenH_ZA) July 17, 2014Unconvinced. Only now inverted commas? “@SA_feminists: What do you think about this response from @GRAZIASAmag? pic.twitter.com/qyiIV8Ormf”
— Penny Haw (@PennyHaw) July 17, 2014
We are giving Grazia the benefit of the doubt, and do believe they had good intentions, but pro-tip for anyone who might be in charge of a business's social media: Don't ask people to slut shame. Just don't do it.
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