For as long as there has been a spoken language there have also been words used to dismiss, disparage, or otherwise hurt other people. Words in and of themselves are not powerful it is the powerful that use these words to stomp on others that make the words powerful. Where do these words come from and how do they become hurtful and once a word has the power to hurt large groups of people can it eventually lose its power through re-appropriation by the oppressed? In her blog, Trans Forming Media, Ashley Love discusses the negative connotations behind the word tra**y which goes to show that words are hurtful and powerful. One of these powerful words is bitch, which has a long history and is the subject of much debate today. Many believe this word has been re-appropriated and some wear it as a badge of honor. For a word to be re-appropriated means the negative connotation of a word is taken away from oppressors that are using it and begins to be used positively by the previously oppressed . Bitch is a word spoken by nearly everyone in American society but what are the underlying meanings and implications of this word?
Bitch literally means female dog however, around the 1400s it began to gain ground as a disparaging description of women “specifically “a lewd or sensual woman,” and then more generally “a malicious or unpleasant woman.” The word is first found used this way in the Chester Plays of the 1400's, which has the line “Who callest thou queine, skabde bitch?,” (Dictionary.com) In the 1600s bitch found its way into two Shakespeare plays but not as an insult to women but as an insult to men. First in the 1601 play Troilus and Cressida“…one that wouldst be a bawd in way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pander, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch;”and then again in 1605 in King Lier “Thou bitch-wolf's son, canst thou not hear?” (University, 2003-2012 ). The 1811 Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue defines bitch as “…the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of a whore…” (Grose, 1811).
Today not only is bitch used as an insult to women it is almost used as a synonym for woman, as in “She’s my bitch” as if women are something to be owned, like dogs. A woman that is labeled a bitch is said to be mean, moody, strong willed, and implies that she is somehow not upholding her duties as a “good woman”. One can be heard to say, “Look at that bitch who does she think she is?” More recently the term has been used to describe a submissive man often in a homosexual relationship as “make him your bitch” Even to ride on the back of a motorcycle, often referred to as “riding bitch” is seen as unmanly and somehow refers to the submissiveness of women whom usually ride on the back of motorcycles. To insult men people often call them a “Son of a bitch” which is to say that because they acted like an ass their mother’s femininity is in question. To use the word as a verb, to bitch, means to complain which is actually an insult to what is stereotypically contributed to women as complainers. In Bitch Power(or Not)from Clutch Magazine, Janelle Harris, recalls a time “…that one little five-letter word had the power to turn even mild-mannered, even-tempered ladies into, well, bitches. Raving mad ones at that” (Harris, 2011) She continues to say that this may not be the case anymore.
Many women, especially self-proclaimed feminists wear the title of bitch as a badge of honor. Popular feminist of the 70s, Jo Freeman wrote The Bitch Manifesto in which she says, “A woman should be proud to declare she is a Bitch, because Bitch is Beautiful. It should be an act of affirmation by self and not negation by others” (Freeman, 1968). Many women call themselves or other women Bitches. Many other women have claimed they have successfully re-appropriated the word. Writer Rebecca West, from Bitch Magazine, while defending the title of their magazine, claims that if women take back the word bitch it loses the power to hurt. She also says that if being seen as other than a doormat is being a bitch than she takes it as a compliment. The following clip shows a comedic attempt by SNL’s Tina Fey to re-appropriate the word bitch after it has been used as an insult to describe current Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, during her 2008 presidential nomination race.
Not everyone feels that words can be effectively re-appropriated. In her 2011 blog post,Toronto activists take back the slut, Jill says, “When you’re standing up against your own oppression as a member of the sex class, it is problematic and of questionable revolutionary efficacy to stamp yourself and your comrades-in-arms with the mark of the oppressor.” (Jill, 2011) In the article, What is Ableist Language and Why Should We Care?, Abbyjean describes the use of the word bitch as being sexist and says ”… this invokes the implicit assumption that women should be warm, caring, likely have a family and prioritize that family, always kind and supportive” (abbyjean, 2009). Ironically, the article was published in Bitch Magazine. Also, the blog post by Ashley Love explains that trans people who describe themselves as a tra**y have low self esteem and are taking the word as a false term of endearment.(Love, 2010). This is defiantly the case with the word bitch. For example, in the motorcycle community women may be referred to as a "Biker Bitch" which is also a false term of endearment.
The word bitch is a much bigger topic than can be completely addressed here. However, this is some insight into how the use of the word can be demeaning to certain groups of people. There are still many negative connotations to the word bitch used to describe women or men. It does seem that is it more acceptable for women to use the word to describe themselves and other women, than it is for men to use it. However, everyone in America uses this word freely, in television, in songs, in school, and in politics. In fact, listen to the song made popular by Meredith Brooks (below). She is clearly speaking to the thought that if a woman is not “innocent and sweet” she is naturally a bitch but has she re-appropriated it? Unfortunately, I think “bitch” is here to stay.
Word Count: 1,105
Work Cited:
1. abbyjean. (2009, November 11). Bitch magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Bitch Media: http://bitchmagazine.org/post/the-transcontinental-disability-choir-what-is-ableist-language-and-why-should-you-care
2. Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bitch
3, Grose, F. (1811). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from fromoldbooks.org: http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Grose-VulgarTongue/b/bitch.html
4. Harris, J. (2011, November 11). Clutch. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from clutchmagonline: http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2011/11/bitch-power-or-not/
5. Jill. (2011, March 31). Toronto activists take back the slut. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from I Blame The Patriarchy: http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2011/03/31/toronto-activists-take-back-the-slut/
6. Love, A. (2010, December 16). Trans Forming Media. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from OK, I give up, you're right, I'm just a "tra**y", sorry for thinking I was a human being: http://transformingmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/ok-i-give-up-youre-right-im-just-tray.html
7. University, G. M. (2003-2012 ). Open Source Shakespeare. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Open Source Shakespeare: http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/
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