Sabit S. Bhuiyan
Professor Alexandra Meric
English 110
30 November 2016
The Evolution and Consequences of the word “Bitch” over Time The word “bitch” has various uses in English language. It is the sort of word that has changed its meaning as time passed. Throughout recent history, this particular word has been often used to insult a person, in most cases – a woman. Although the word was originally meant to be the female version of “dog”, the derogatory meaning has little to no relation to the meaning itself. In reality, the way the word has been used has warped the true meaning of the word itself. The way the word is used in an insult is often referenced to a feminine trait. In the 21st Century, it is often common for people to use the word …show more content…
She begins by describing how they were discussing Mary McCarthy’s The Group in class, and how she had been intrigued by how often critics called McCarthy a bitch (Gross 147). She realized that the traits of her being critical, combative and assertive resulted in her being called a bitch. Whereas a man with the same traits is being excused, even glorified. Upon asking the class for the male equivalent of the word “bitch”, Sabrina Sims answered with the word “Boss” (Gross 147). Even though the reply was meant to be a lighthearted joke, it cannot be denied that there was some underlying truth to the …show more content…
Although, nowadays, it is often used endearingly among some females as well, like when someone greets their friend with “Hey, bitch!” or refers to them as “Oh, she is my bitch!”, it is very uncommon to see males using the word as such. It shows how the word is mostly considered a feminine trait. It is very hard to change the way society thinks as a whole. It is a fact that most females accept our male dominated society as a norm. Females who are assertive or show even the slightest signs of dominance are being considered a “bitch”, whereas it is normal for a male to act as such. In retrospect, males who are considered submissive or possessing any “feminine” trait are also being considered a “bitch”. The link to it being a feminine trait is undeniable. History shows us how the word has evolved through time. It is impossible to change how language is used by merely stating that we should not use a certain word. To change how the word is used, it is crucial to change the way society views women. One cannot say “Do not use the word bitch” and expect people to stop using it immediately. Instead, our society needs to evolve to a point where women are valued as equally as men are. We cannot deny the common physical differences between a male and a female, but to bring about change, we need to value both equally as women. Once society has evolved to that point of
Professor Alexandra Meric
English 110
30 November 2016
The Evolution and Consequences of the word “Bitch” over Time The word “bitch” has various uses in English language. It is the sort of word that has changed its meaning as time passed. Throughout recent history, this particular word has been often used to insult a person, in most cases – a woman. Although the word was originally meant to be the female version of “dog”, the derogatory meaning has little to no relation to the meaning itself. In reality, the way the word has been used has warped the true meaning of the word itself. The way the word is used in an insult is often referenced to a feminine trait. In the 21st Century, it is often common for people to use the word …show more content…
She begins by describing how they were discussing Mary McCarthy’s The Group in class, and how she had been intrigued by how often critics called McCarthy a bitch (Gross 147). She realized that the traits of her being critical, combative and assertive resulted in her being called a bitch. Whereas a man with the same traits is being excused, even glorified. Upon asking the class for the male equivalent of the word “bitch”, Sabrina Sims answered with the word “Boss” (Gross 147). Even though the reply was meant to be a lighthearted joke, it cannot be denied that there was some underlying truth to the …show more content…
Although, nowadays, it is often used endearingly among some females as well, like when someone greets their friend with “Hey, bitch!” or refers to them as “Oh, she is my bitch!”, it is very uncommon to see males using the word as such. It shows how the word is mostly considered a feminine trait. It is very hard to change the way society thinks as a whole. It is a fact that most females accept our male dominated society as a norm. Females who are assertive or show even the slightest signs of dominance are being considered a “bitch”, whereas it is normal for a male to act as such. In retrospect, males who are considered submissive or possessing any “feminine” trait are also being considered a “bitch”. The link to it being a feminine trait is undeniable. History shows us how the word has evolved through time. It is impossible to change how language is used by merely stating that we should not use a certain word. To change how the word is used, it is crucial to change the way society views women. One cannot say “Do not use the word bitch” and expect people to stop using it immediately. Instead, our society needs to evolve to a point where women are valued as equally as men are. We cannot deny the common physical differences between a male and a female, but to bring about change, we need to value both equally as women. Once society has evolved to that point of