Editing Bitch (slang) (section)

==Modern use==
{{Globalize|section|USA|2name=the United States|date=December 2010}}<!-- The sources used are all from the US, It needs sources from all the major English speaking nations to represent a global view.-->
In modern usage, the slang term bitch has different meanings depending largely on social context and may vary from very offensive to endearing,<ref name="nytimes07" /> and as with many slang terms, its meaning and nuances can vary depending on the region in which it is used.

[[File:Bitch Barossa Grenache.jpg|thumb|Bitch wine. "Bitch" has been reappropriated to have positive meanings in some contexts]]

The term ''bitch'' can refer to a person or thing that is very difficult, as in "Life's a bitch" or "He sure got the bitch end of that deal". It is common for insults to lose intensity as their meaning broadens ("[[bastard (disambiguation)|bastard]]" is another example).<ref name="hughes" /> In the film ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939), [[Joan Crawford]] could only allude to the word: "And by the way, there's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society—outside of a kennel." At the time, use of the actual word would have been censored by the [[Hays Office]]. By 1974, [[Elton John]] had a hit single (#4 in the U.S. and #14 in the U.K.) with "[[The Bitch Is Back]]", in which he says "bitch" repeatedly. It was, however, censored by some radio stations.<ref name="songfacts-ej">{{cite web |url=https://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=850 |title=The Bitch Is Back by Elton John Songfacts |publisher=Songfacts.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418004616/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=850 |url-status=live }}</ref> On late night U.S. television, the character [[Emily Litella]] (1976–1978) on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (portrayed by [[Gilda Radner]]) would frequently refer to [[Jane Curtin]] under her breath at the end of their ''Weekend Update'' routine in this way: "Oh! Never mind...! ''Bitch!''"

''Bitchin' '' arose in the 1950s to describe something found to be desirable or exciting.<ref>{{Cite web|title=bitchin' {{!}} very good or appealing|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitchin%27|website=www.merriam-webster.com|access-date=2015-10-23|archive-date=2015-09-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906221853/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bitchin%27|url-status=live}}</ref>

Modern use can include self-description, often as an unfairly difficult person. For example, in ''The Bitch in the House'' by [[Cathi Hanauer]], a woman describes her marriage: "I'm fine all day at work, but as soon as I get home, I'm a horror....I'm the bitch in the house."<ref>The Bitch in the House, ed. Cathi Hanaeur</ref> [[Boy George]] admitted "I was being a bitch" in a falling out with Elton John.<ref>[http://blog.pinknews.co.uk/2009/07/elton-john-and-boy-george-end-feud.html Elton John and Boy George End Feuf] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616003151/http://blog.pinknews.co.uk/2009/07/elton-john-and-boy-george-end-feud.html |date=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

Generally, the term ''bitch'' is still considered offensive, and not accepted in formal situations. According to [[linguist]] [[Deborah Tannen]], "''Bitch'' is the most contemptible thing you can say about a woman. Save perhaps the four-letter [[cunt|C word]]."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Carlson |first1=Margaret |title=The Public Eye: Muzzle the B Word |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,982345,00.html |magazine=Time |date=16 January 1995 |access-date=25 March 2021 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003215057/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,982345,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It's common for the word to be censored on [[prime time]] TV, often rendered as "the b-word". During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, a [[John McCain]] supporter referred to [[Hillary Clinton]] by asking, "How do we beat the bitch?" The event was reported in censored format:<ref name="nieman">{{cite web |last=Hall |first=Kathleen |url=http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100020 |title=Nieman Reports &#124; The 'B' Word in Traditional News and on the Web |publisher=Nieman.harvard.edu |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2010-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706215850/http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<blockquote>
On CNN's "The Situation Room," Washington Post media critic and CNN "Reliable Sources" host Howard Kurtz observed that "Senator McCain did not embrace the 'b' word that this woman in the audience used." ABC reporter Kate Snow adopted the same locution. On CNN's "Out in the Open," Rick Sanchez characterized the word without using it by saying, "Last night, we showed you a clip of one of his supporters calling Hillary Clinton the b-word that rhymes with witch." A local Fox 25 news reporter made the same move when he rhymed the unspoken word with rich.
</blockquote>

A study reported that, when used on social media, ''bitch'' "aims to promote traditional, cultural beliefs about femininity".<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Felmlee|first1=Diane|last2=Inara Rodis|first2=Paulina|last3=Zhang|first3=Amy|date=2020-07-01|title=Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online|journal=Sex Roles|language=en|volume=83|issue=1|pages=16–28|doi=10.1007/s11199-019-01095-z|issn=1573-2762|doi-access=free}}</ref> Used hundreds of thousands of times per day on such platforms, it is associated with sexist harassment, "victimizing targets", and "shaming" victims who do not abide by degrading notions about femininity.<ref name=":1" />

=== Reappropriation ===
[[File:Bitch.jpg|thumb|A woman at an International Day of the Woman march in Sante Fe Argentina, with a tattoo of the word bitch on her back]]

In the context of modern [[feminism]], ''bitch'' has varied [[reappropriated]] meanings that may connote a ''strong female'' ([[anti-stereotype]] of weak submissive woman), ''cunning'' (equal to males in mental guile), or else it may be used as a tongue-in cheek [[wikt:backhanded|backhanded]] compliment for someone who has excelled in an achievement.<ref name="zeisler"/><ref>[http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/11.29.00/feminism-0048.html Third Wave Feminism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118142913/http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/11.29.00/feminism-0048.html |date=2018-01-18 }}, by Tamara Straus, MetroActive, December 6, 2000.</ref><ref>[http://www.popgurls.com/article_show.php3?id=634 You've Really Got Some Minerva, Veronica Mars] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423171534/http://www.popgurls.com/article_show.php3?id=634 |date=2007-04-23}}, 2006-11-21.</ref> For example, ''[[Bitch (magazine)|Bitch]]'' magazine describes itself as a "feminist response to pop culture".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bitchmagazine.org/ |title=Bitch Media |publisher=Bitchmagazine.org |date=2012-04-25 |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725080514/http://bitchmagazine.org/ |archive-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Feminist attorney [[Jo Freeman]] (Joreen) authored "The BITCH Manifesto" in 1968:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm/bitch/ |title=The Bitch Manifesto - Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement |publisher=Scriptorium.lib.duke.edu |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2011-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719185933/http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm/bitch/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/bitch.htm |title=The BITCH Manifesto |publisher=Jofreeman.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427152212/http://www.jofreeman.com/joreen/bitch.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><blockquote>
A Bitch takes shit from no one. You may not like her, but you cannot ignore her. ... [Bitches] have loud voices and often use them. Bitches are not pretty. ... Bitches seek their identity strictly thru themselves and what they do. They are subjects, not objects. ... Often they do dominate other people when roles are not available to them which more creatively sublimate their energies and utilize their capabilities. More often they are accused of domineering when doing what would be considered natural by a man.
</blockquote>
Bitch has also been reappropriated by [[Hip hop|hip-hop]] culture, rappers use the adjective "bad bitch" to refer to an independent, confident, attractive woman. The term is used in a complimentary way, meaning the woman is desirable. One of the first instances of "bitch" being used in this way is in the song "Da Baddest Bitch" by [[Trina]], released in 1999.<ref name="vice.com">{{Cite web|title=The Evolution of the Bitch {{!}} VICE|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-evolution-of-the-bitch-905/|website=VICE|date=9 September 2014|access-date=2015-10-23|language=en-us|archive-date=2015-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011155546/http://www.vice.com/read/the-evolution-of-the-bitch-905|url-status=live}}</ref> This can also be seen throughout multiple different songs from Rihanna's song entitled "Bad Bitch" featuring [[Beyoncé]] which reiterates the line "I'm a bad bitch"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rihanna (Ft. Beyoncé) – Bad Bitch (Demo)|url=https://genius.com/Rihanna-bad-bitch-demo-lyrics|website=Genius|access-date=2015-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012040602/http://genius.com/Rihanna-bad-bitch-demo-lyrics|archive-date=2015-10-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> multiple times. "[[BitchSlut]]" by [[Anna Wise]] prominently uses the words ''bitch'' and ''slut'' to reclaim identity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-07 |title=Anna Wise – "BitchSlut" (Stereogum Premiere) |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1863993/anna-wise-bitchslut-stereogum-premiere/news/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}</ref> This use of the word bitch shows women reappropriating the meaning to be a more positive and empowering word for women.
[[File:Kondom Bitch Ray.jpg|left|thumb|A condom branded by rap signer [[Lady Bitch Ray]]]]
The increased usage of the word ''bitch'' casually or in a friendly way by women has been characterized by Sherryl Kleynman as a result of the absorption of sexist culture by women.<ref name=":0" /> Such usage has been cited by Kleinman et al. as increasing the perception the word is acceptable and excusing men who use it against women.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kleinman|first1=Sherryl|last2=Copp|first2=Martha|date=July 2009|title=Denying Social Harm: Students' Resistance to Lessons About Inequality|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0092055X0903700306|journal=Teaching Sociology|language=en|volume=37|issue=3|pages=283–293|doi=10.1177/0092055X0903700306|s2cid=144951871|issn=0092-055X|access-date=2021-04-16|archive-date=2021-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124161248/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0092055X0903700306|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Pop culture====
In pop culture, the use of the term ''bitch'' has increased through media such as television, movies, magazines, social media, etc. The use of the word "bitch" on television shows tripled between 1998 and 2007, which had much to do with the word's feminist facelift in the previous decade.<ref name="vice.com"/>

In a 2006 interview titled "Pop Goes the Feminist", ''Bitch'' magazine co-founder [[Andi Zeisler]] explained the naming of the magazine:<ref name="zeisler" />

<blockquote>
When we chose the name, we were thinking, well, it would be great to reclaim the word "bitch" for strong, outspoken women, much the same way that "[[queer]]" has been reclaimed by the [[gay community]]. That was very much on our minds, the positive power of language reclamation.</blockquote>

[[File:Seattle - Pain in the Grass - 1995 - 7 Year Bitch 01.jpg|thumb|The band [[7 Year Bitch]] in concert]]

Pop culture contains a number of slogans of [[Identity (social science)|self-identification]] based on ''bitch''. For example,
* "You call me 'Bitch' like it's a bad thing."
* "I go zero to bitch in 3.5 seconds."
There are several [[backronym]]s. [[Heartless Bitches International]] is a club with the slogan "Because we know BITCH means: Being In Total Control, Honey!" Other imagined acronyms include
* "Beautiful Intelligent Talented Creative Honest"
* "Beautiful Individual That Causes [[Erection|Hardons]]"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abbreviations.com/b1.aspx?KEY=385003 |title=BITCH - Beautiful Individual That Causes Hardons |publisher=Abbreviations.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313114939/http://www.abbreviations.com/b1.aspx?KEY=385003 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* "Babe In Total Control of Herself".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Beautiful+Intelligent+Talented+Creative+Honest |title=Beautiful Intelligent Talented Creative Honest - What does BITCH stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary |publisher=Acronyms.thefreedictionary.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320041208/http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Beautiful+Intelligent+Talented+Creative+Honest |url-status=live }}</ref>
As stated in Scallen's ''[https://americanstudies.nd.edu/assets/61886/bitchthesisentirely3.pdf Bitch Thesis]'', "As Asim demonstrates with his discussion of the appropriation of the N word by black communities, the term ''bitch'' is deployed in pop culture in multiple ways (with multiple meanings) at the same time."<ref>Scallen. "Bitch Thesis." 2010. ''Department of American Studies''. Paper. 17 October 2015.</ref> Derogatory terms are constantly appropriated. Many women, such as [[Nicki Minaj]], refer to themselves as bitches. By calling oneself a bitch in today's culture, these women are referencing their success, money, sexuality, and power. Asha Layne's article [http://www.hamptoninstitution.org/women-in-hip-hop.html#.Vimtrn6rTIU ''Now That's a Bad Bitch!: The State of Women in Hip-Hop''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013085453/http://www.hamptoninstitution.org/women-in-hip-hop.html#.Vimtrn6rTIU |date=2015-10-13 }}, "The change in the meaning of the word thus subverts the tools of oppression used to dominate women to now empower them."<ref>Layne, Asha. ''Now That's a Bad Bitch!: The State of Women in Hip-Hop''. 24 April 2014. Article. 19 October 2015.</ref>

===Hip hop culture===
{{Main|Misogyny in hip hop culture}}

In the realm of hip-hop culture, the word 'bitch' stands as an enigma, evolving from a narrow term referring solely to a female dog into a complex and multifaceted term with profound implications. This evolution is deeply intertwined with the history of hip-hop, where the word has been wielded with various connotations and meanings, reflecting the intricate dynamics of gender relations and power struggles. Early examples, such as [[Duke Bootee]] classic 1983 song with [[Grandmaster Flash]], '''[[New York, New York (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song)|New York New York]]'',' and [[Slick Rick]]'s '[[La Di Da Di]]' (1985), marked the emergence of 'bitch' in hip-hop lyrics. Since then, artists and followers of the culture have frequently used the term, with variations like 'bee-otch' popularized by Oakland-based rapper [[Too $hort]] in the late 1980s.<ref name="adams & fuller">{{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Terri M. |last2=Fuller |first2=Douglas B. |title=The Words Have Changed but the Ideology Remains the Same: Misogynistic Lyrics in Rap Music |journal=Journal of Black Studies |date=July 2006 |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=938–957 |doi=10.1177/0021934704274072 |s2cid=143525484}}</ref>

Reaching back to the dozens and dirty blues, early rappers like [[Slick Rick]] established the bitch as a character: a woman, often treacherous, but sometimes simply déclassé.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Who You Calling A B----?|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/09/06/160672019/who-you-calling-a-b|website=NPR.org|date=6 September 2012|access-date=2015-10-23|last1=Powers|first1=Ann|archive-date=2015-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023052340/http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/09/06/160672019/who-you-calling-a-b|url-status=live}}</ref> [[N.W.A|N.W.A.'s]] song 'One Less Bitch' exemplifies misogynistic attitudes, equating women with negative stereotypes such as 'money hungry scandalous groupies.' These lyrics highlight the ongoing tensions within hip-hop culture regarding gender representation and language usage. While some misogynistic rap perpetuates harmful stereotypes of women as 'money-hungry, scandalous, manipulating, and demanding, 'as stated by Adams and Fuller (2006),<ref name="adams & fuller" /> the word has also been directed towards men, often to denote subordination or perceived inferiority toward "unmanly" or homosexual men.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rapgenius.com/Dr-dre-bitches-aint-shit-lyrics |title=Dr. Dre – Bitches Ain't Shit Lyrics |publisher=Rap Genius |access-date=2013-02-24 |archive-date=2013-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127002323/http://rapgenius.com/Dr-dre-bitches-aint-shit-lyrics |url-status=live }}</ref> An example of this is the song ''Bitches 2'' by [[Ice-T]], which gives an example of a male "bitch" in each verse.

However, amidst the prevalence of derogatory usage, female hip-hop artists have challenged the word's appropriation by male rappers. [[Queen Latifah]]'s 1993 track '[[U.N.I.T.Y.]]' confronts this misogyny, demanding, "Who you callin' a bitch?"<ref>[[Mark Anthony Neal|Neal, Mark Anthony]] and Murray Forman. [https://books.google.com/books?id=K4yDAOL07ugC&pg=PA315 ''That's the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader'']. New York: Routledge, 2004, p. 315, {{ISBN|978-0-415-96918-5}}.</ref><ref>Dyson, Miachel Eric. [https://books.google.com/books?id=bUautpC-HokC&pg=PA124 ''Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop'']. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2007, p. 124, {{ISBN|978-0-465-01716-4}}.</ref> Similarly, [[Roxanne Shante]] and [[MC Lyte]] reclaimed the term, with Shante even releasing an album entitled '''[[The Bitch Is Back (Roxanne Shanté album)|The Bitch Is Back]]''<nowiki/>' in 1992. Popular culture has inspired [[Woman|women]] to redefine the word bitch as a [[euphemism]] for "[[Strong black woman]]". A modern example would be [[Megan Thee Stallion]]'s track 'B.I.T.C.H.' which exemplifies this; flipping the script to portray 'bitch' as a descriptor of self-respect and autonomy.

In 2016, [[Kanye West]] released his seventh studio album called ''[[The Life of Pablo]]''. On the song called "Famous" West raps, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous." This sparked a controversy with [[Taylor Swift]] as she "cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mic.com/articles/135147/7-times-women-in-hip-hop-proved-kanye-wrong-about-the-word-bitch|title=7 Women Who Put Kanye in His Place About Using the Word "Bitch"|website=mic.com|date=12 February 2016|language=en|access-date=2019-04-30|archive-date=2019-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430032343/https://mic.com/articles/135147/7-times-women-in-hip-hop-proved-kanye-wrong-about-the-word-bitch|url-status=live}}</ref> These lyrics highlight the ongoing tensions within hip-hop culture regarding gender. In response to Swift's remarks, West went on Twitter and posted a tweet which said how the word "bitch" is an endearing term in hip hop like the word "nigga".