A bitchin' observation...

[strangecreature]

So I've been thinking about the word 'bitch'. Y'know, as you do

Comments

[jumpthesnark]

I always thought it was because even a woman who is too strong/too aggressive (for a woman) is not as strong as the weakest of men? Idk. xD

[swear_jar]

That was kind of how I thought of it, too, actually. *Seconds*.

[strangecreature]

Nooooo! Boo-hiss, I dislike this explanation. :-\

[strangecreature]

Well, that's depressing!

[chlare]

Yeah, I'd say it has to do with what you said re: the reclaiming of it - that is certainly a modern thing - but also societal norms still say a man has to be more than a woman, so to be lowered to the status of bitch is all emasculating, *jazz hands* taking away what that man is...so...there's no point for them to try and reclaim it; if they were a 'real' man they would be naturally strong and aggressive. There'd be no need to say it in the way that Cordy does since they should already be that way, where as Cordy is kind of 'elevating' herself to a male aggressor position. ...Lameness all around if you were to look at it that way.

Okay, didn't mean to blather that much. :) I'll be moving along now. Stupid packing.

[strangecreature]

Aw!! But I want people to talk! *g* S'kinda the point!

(And I really like your thoughts here... That makes sense, albeit kind of depressing sense, in that moving away from the feminine is always the empowering move. Hmm.)

[kita0610]

Because being called anything considered traditionaly associated with women is an insult, silly.

[strangecreature]

That makes me sadface, but I'll concur on the when-directed-at-men side (In the Oz example, 'bitch' immediately gets one-upped by 'you cunt' in the same exchange, which is arguably even more of a feminine insult and the reason I didn't quote that dialogue in its entirety *g*). But what's with the newly-minted positive connotations for women? Is it an attitude of "Yes, I agree, I'm a woman, and I'll kick your ass at it" or more like "Yes, I agree, I'm stronger than 'feminine' women"?

[kita0610]

The last is an interesting distinction! I always equate bitch when 'reclaimed' with a feminine kind of power of the Buffy type, rather than an attempt to distance onesself from other women. Ymmv.