USA TODAY – Billy Ray Cyrus is under fire for leaked audio and text messages in which, among other crude comments, he seemingly calls ex-wife Tish Cyrus a “skank” and references her previous sexual relationships in a derogatory manner.
The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer was heard, in a leaked audio clip obtained by Page Six, Us Weekly and People, referring to either Tish Cyrus or daughter Miley Cyrus as “the devil’s skank.”
“She is a liar … and a cheat. Complete skank.”
And in text messages obtained by the same outlets, Billy Ray Cyrus appears to reference his ex-wife’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast appearance in February, saying: “She is a liar … and a cheat. Complete skank. Scum of the earth. A fraud,” he wrote.
Billy Ray also reportedly wrote of his ex-wife, “she was impregnated by two different men.” His team did not return USA TODAY’s request for comment regarding the text messages. In a statement via Instagram, he seemingly confirmed the veracity of the leaked audio and defended himself.
Experts in gender and women’s issues say it’s comments like these that highlight the judgment women are subjected to when it comes to their sexual agency.
When these instances make headlines, it’s an opportunity to both condemn this language and examine how slut-shaming has permeated our culture.
‘Slut-shaming’
Comments like those heard on the leaked audio unveil the double-bind women are subjected to when it comes to sexual agency, says Meredith Ralston, a professor of women’s and political studies at Mount Saint Vincent University and author of “Slut-Shaming, Whorephobia, and the Unfinished Sexual Revolution.”
Calling a woman a “skank” or a “slut” or discussing her sexual history underscores the stereotype “that women should be pure,” she says.
“The language is really meant to silence women and keep them in their place,” Ralston says …
