kwillia
n/a
For a highly evolved society so intrigued by and invested in progress, it's funny how such an archaic word -- demeaning women since as early as the 15th century—has managed to stick around.
Sure, feminists, unwittingly and otherwise, have attempted to reclaim it -- bad bitches, rad bitches, bitchin' bitches; and of course, there's Kanye West's ode to his wife in the song "Perfect Bitch," which is loving, I think. But when it comes down to its most common usage, the word has not escaped its derogatory origins, ultimately seeking to keep women down by condemning, basically, that which makes them women.
More questions: Would a guy whose tastes are so mainstream be called basic? What's the male equivalent for "resting bitch face"?
There is no male equivalent, and that's because the B-word is an exclusively female privilege, one that serves to send the message to women that there's nothing you can do with your face, clothes, voice or spare time that can't in some way be portrayed as wrong. Even using the word lightly endorses the idea that ours is a culture dominated by men, even still. Men who hold the power, men who determine what's cool. It gives people permission to judge others, women mostly, on how they look, what they wear, how their voices sound and a variety of other superficial qualities.
At the same time, we can't simply fault men for perpetuating the idea that women are, at the end of the day, mainly worth their weight in hairspray. As both the RBF and "basic bitch" phenomena prove, women are doing just as much of the name-calling as men.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/opinions/drexler-rbf/index.html
Sure, feminists, unwittingly and otherwise, have attempted to reclaim it -- bad bitches, rad bitches, bitchin' bitches; and of course, there's Kanye West's ode to his wife in the song "Perfect Bitch," which is loving, I think. But when it comes down to its most common usage, the word has not escaped its derogatory origins, ultimately seeking to keep women down by condemning, basically, that which makes them women.
More questions: Would a guy whose tastes are so mainstream be called basic? What's the male equivalent for "resting bitch face"?
There is no male equivalent, and that's because the B-word is an exclusively female privilege, one that serves to send the message to women that there's nothing you can do with your face, clothes, voice or spare time that can't in some way be portrayed as wrong. Even using the word lightly endorses the idea that ours is a culture dominated by men, even still. Men who hold the power, men who determine what's cool. It gives people permission to judge others, women mostly, on how they look, what they wear, how their voices sound and a variety of other superficial qualities.
At the same time, we can't simply fault men for perpetuating the idea that women are, at the end of the day, mainly worth their weight in hairspray. As both the RBF and "basic bitch" phenomena prove, women are doing just as much of the name-calling as men.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/opinions/drexler-rbf/index.html
