What Are You Saying?

With the advent of the "Me, too" campaign, I have seen a disturbing rise in the use of the word bitch on social media. What is disturbing is that young women are using this word to describe themselves. Why, I ask?

When we coop words that have been used to denegrate, demean and dehumanize people to identify ourselves, we are giving our power away, not strengthing it. This form of identity is akin to the idea of "if you can't beat them, join them." Do we, as women, really want to do that?

This blog was built on the belief that words hold power. They can hurt, as well as heal. We decide in our day-to-day use of language, which we want to promote. 

So, let's step back for a moment and look at the etymology of the word, bitch. 

"bitch (n.)Old English bicce "female dog," probably from Old Norse bikkjuna "female of the dog" (also of the fox, wolf, and occasionally other beasts), which is of unknown origin. Grimm derives the Old Norse word from Lapp pittja, but OED notes that "the converse is equally possible." As a term of contempt applied to women, it dates from c. 1400; of a man, c. 1500, playfully, in the sense of "dog." Used among male homosexuals from 1930s. In modern (1990s, originally African-American vernacular) slang, its use with reference to a man is sexually contemptuous, from the "woman" insult. BITCH. A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of whore. ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 1811]"  

With all the words in the English vernacular, why would we want to identify with this? I feel strongly that we need to show the world that women are strong, but this is not the way to do it. I suggest identifying ourselves with terms like, fierce and ferocious or assertive and adventurous. Truly, there are hundreds of other powerful choices other than "bitch."

I, also, feel strongly that we need to reclaim words of power that have been twisted and negated. Words like "witch" and "crone." Both of these terms originally referred to women who had great wisdom and knowledge. Women who were powerful enough to heal, rule and lead. 

So, as you read the memes and the online "find out what you are..." surveys, let's take a moment to think about what it is we are doing when we allow ourselves to be identified as something that for hundreds of years equates to the most violent of insults. Stop, think and then be absolutely passionate and powerful!

Blessings.

Further reading:

• https://fusiondotnet.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/ezzell.reclaiming_critical_analysis.pdf
• https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/02/bitch-internalized-sexism/