SHE SPEWED
Why You Should be Proud to be a Bitch
Redefining what it means to be a bitch
Don’t be such a bitch.
Damn, she’s one badass bitch.
Bitch. Bitch. Bitch. What does it really mean to be a bitch? The term ‘bitch’ has unquestioningly undergone a lexical change since it was denotative of a female dog around 1000 AD. Today, when a man says it to a woman, there is no conceivable context in which it could mean anything but a resounding insult. But from one woman to another, a bitch could be a term of endearment as much as a compliment.
Pop culture by way of rap and hip hop has very much informed the usage of the word. ‘Bitch’ now appears as an adjective, verb and adverb but most notably, it has gained currency as a lewd and derogatory term to address females. According to The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, a bitch is defined as a despicable, feminine, weak and sexually submissive woman.
In other words, a woman who is strong-minded, asserts her opinions, impudent enough to question men, demands the rejection of discrimination based on gender and generally displays qualities that are celebrated when found in a man, is a bitch.
A more polite way these bitches are addressed as is an alpha female. In alpha literature (yes, there is academic literature studying alphaism), alpha females are identified by their socially aggressive and dominant personalities. Alpha females unwittingly command deference from other females who tend to be intimidated by them because their embodied character traits have been internalised as qualities innate to males.
In The Bitch Manifesto (1968) by Jo Freeman, she writes:
Bitches are not only oppressed as women, they are oppressed for not being like women.
The most prominent characteristic of all Bitches is that they rudely violate conceptions of proper sex role behavior. — Jo Freeman
Truly, bitches and alpha females alike are snubbed by both genders. They are sneered by men for their strength while simultaneously alienated by women who find difficulty in identifying with them. Put into contemporary context, these women are often viewed as ‘one of the bros’ by male friends but struggle to completely fit in with her girl friends. In a situation where one must deny their femininity in order to command respect and shirk preconceived notions of belonging to a weaker sex, yet having to assert their femininity to affirm their gender identity, bitches are torn between conforming and rejecting conformity.
In a time when awareness of gender prejudices is becoming more pronounced, a reconsideration of what it means to be a bitch is perhaps in order. Instead of being offended or hurt the next time someone calls you a bitch, realise that it could be an appraisal of your character and own the label. And the next time you call someone a bitch, objectively confront what qualities have challenged you to react in anger. Of course, there are bad bitches who out of vulnerability bully and manipulate others to elevate themselves. But it is with hope that one day, women will be able to reclaim the word from a vile slur to a praise.
So yes, if a bitch is as described as above, I am indeed 100% that bitch.
