Bitches

There are certain terms in the English language which hold a lot of weight in the feminist sphere of thought, to the point that they are shunned or banned from certain communities or discussions. I'm sure there are plenty that I could focus on, but today I feel like taking a look at how I use the word bitch.

As I'm very much a linguist, the first thing I think about is the word itself. I love the sound of the word. Biting, plosive, satisfying. The etymology is quite interesting; it has been in use for around six hundred years in terms of an insulting term aimed at women. Wiktionary defines it as "a female who is malicious, spiteful, unbearable, intrusive, or obnoxious". So it covers a pretty wide range of characteristics, in general. It also mentions that, by extension, it can be used towards a man but is therefore insulting for its link with femininity - I shall come back to this later.

Yes, bitch has a horrible history. It dehumanises women, brings them to the level of the dog - not just that, but solely the female dog, which is perceived as snappy and unfriendly. This probably stems from the male view that women should be pleasant and nice for them, good and lady-like and never complain about what goes on. Just lie back and take it, dear. Today, I see and hear bitch used to describe basically any women who stand up for themselves and live their own lives without softening themselves for the men around. Powerful women, women who have their own confidence and space and don't strive to be agreeable for the pleasure and comfort of those around her. Which I think is excellent despite the negative connotations.

However, there are some usages that just turn my stomach. The insinuation that to be bitchy is to be a woman, that disagreeableness is a feminine trait - which to an extent it is, but only because men don't need to make themselves nice for people. Men can be just as spiteful as women - it's not a gender specific trait! It's about individual personalities rather than what genitals you're carrying between your legs. I use bitch to describe men as often as I use it to describe women, if not more; but at the moment I'm having to rethink as to whether this is an equality thing or, by feminising the men I insult, I'm being detrimental to the cause.

I suppose I'll just have to keep thinking about it.