“Bitch” is Beautiful???
November 18, 2008
by Amy Siskind
|13 Comments
Last night on Chewing the Fat with Ophelia, we discussed an important topic: can be take back the word “bitch?” Can we take away the word’s negativity and power?
Musings of a 6th grade girl:
A “bitch” is a female dog;
dogs bark;
bark grows on trees;
trees grow in a forest;
a forest is part of nature;
nature is beautiful;
SO…
“bitch” is beautiful!!!
Oh, and by the way, thanks for the compliment!
I don’t think you can take away its power because women play too fair with men, they always kick above the belt and won’t continue to kick when a man is down, women bring high morals to a street fight, that’s just my opinion
That’s a beautiful poem.
I think you can wear some of those terms with pride, LOL, and consider them evidence of a good days work.
But no, as I’ve gotten older I’ve decided that reclaiming those kinds of words is not the way to go. I get the concept, trying to take ownership of those terms, redefine them, and reduce their power. But it doesn’t work, once you reclaim one word, they find another.
I’m not sure we can irradicate it or take it back? Why don’t we just ignore it? Something about ….I’m rubber and you’re glue?
I think we should own the word. Samantha of “samanthasmom” is a beautiful bitch. She is kind, loving, and tolerant. (I have a 2 year old grandson who thinks she’s a chair.) She is loyal and sympathetic to my moods. She is playful and willing to wear silly hats to amuse me although I suspect she’s thinks I’m nuts. She’s protective of her family, her home, and her kitty pal. She’s my best friend, and I have lots of friends. There is nothing about being compared to Samantha that I would consider derogatory. We’re a couple of proud bitches.
samanthasmom,
Okay I don’t know what my problem is this morning but your post actually made me tear up. Sniff Sniff! Yea you!
I don’t think “Bitch” is beautiful – and I don’t think we can make it so.
IMHO we should simply make the word apply to men too.
I’ve tried it – it works. Men are often far bitchier than women – lets just call them out on it.
I mean, who is a bigger bitch than Chris Mathews? All he DOES is bitch.
That’s a great post Samanthasmom. Quite right, we should all aspire to be a wonderful as dogs. If that’s what bitch means then count me in. Someday I really do hope to become the person my dogs think I am.
Yes Pacific-cali, I think we should use the term to describe men. Why not? We’ve certainly got plenty of bloviators on TV constantly bitchin and moaning about something.
The pejorative use of the word “bitch” is NOT and never will be acceptable any more than the use of the word “nigger” ever was or is.
–
“SHADOW” now . . . and “SHADOW” forever!
“Stop Humiliation And Disparagement Of Women”
goesh: my thoughts also.
“Bitch” is insulting because the insulter is calling the insultee female, and an animal. The only way to render such a word neutral is to eradicate contempt and hatred for women and animals.
As an empowered woman I am not afraid or insulted by the word bitch. I also believe we give too much power to words and in so doing we empower a person who wants to use words to hurt and insult us.
As children we knew that the best way to disarm a bully who used word to hurt was to sing out “‘sticks and stones may break my bones….” We took his power away by doing so. How is it as adults we’ve lost the ability to do something so simple.
We have turned into a society that uses words to sue. Or to get people fired. Or to allow ourselves to become enraged. We have the N word the C word the B word the F word. It’s insane!!! Before long we will have a book full of words that are off limits.
And what’s wrong with being a bitch. I can be a bitch. I get in bitchy moods. There is nothing wrong with that. Meredith Brooks sums it up beautifully with her lyrics:
Chorus:
I’m a bitch, I’m a lover
I’m a child, I’m a mother
I’m a sinner, I’m a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I’m your hell, I’m your dream
I’m nothing in between
You know you wouldn’t want it any other way
Silly me, I though the “b” word and the “c” word were the moral equivalent of the “n” word. Let’s strip someone of their humanity and reduce them to a sterotype and then they are responsible for their own abuse–and we are off the hook morally. There is an interesting book I saw on Amazon–50 Double Standards Every Woman Know: He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know…has anyone read it?
Generally, I see the word “bitch” used in the context of trying to shut a woman up or diminishing her power.
Strong women are denegrated as bitches
Women who speak up for themselves are told to stop bitching.
I find nothing uplifting or empowering in this slur.
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