Editing Bitch (slang)

{{Short description|Pejorative slang word for a person or thing, mainly a woman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{other uses|Bitch (disambiguation)}}
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{{More citations needed|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox profanity 
| name = Bitch
| image = Protests at Walker Art Center, June 2017.jpg
| alt = Different protest signs hung on a fence. One of them reads: "Burn this Bitch down".
| caption = [[Slang]] usage of ''bitch'' in a protest
| pronunciation = ({{IPAc-en|b|ɪ|t|ʃ}})<ref name = "dictionary"/>
| literal = Female dog
| figurative = A woman or girl who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant<ref name=":0"/><br>A man or boy who is subordinate, weak, or cowardly{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} 
}}
In the [[English language]], '''''bitch''''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɪ|t|ʃ}})<ref name = "dictionary">{{Cite web|title=Definition of bitch {{!}} Dictionary.com|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bitch|access-date=2021-08-12|website=[[dictionary.com]]|language=en|archive-date=2021-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731004653/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bitch|url-status=live}}</ref> as a [[slang term]] is a [[pejorative]] for a person, usually a woman. When applied to a woman or girl, it means someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, controlling, aggressive, or dominant.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Kleynman|first=Sherryl|date=Spring 2009|title=Reclaiming Critical Analysis:The Social Harms of "Bitch"|url=https://www.jmu.edu/socanth/sociology/wm_library/Ezzell.Reclaiming_Critical_Analysis.pdf|journal=Sociological Analysis|volume=3|access-date=2021-03-25|archive-date=2021-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307002849/https://www.jmu.edu/socanth/sociology/wm_library/Ezzell.Reclaiming_Critical_Analysis.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> When applied to a man or boy, ''bitch'' reverses its meaning and is a derogatory term for being subordinate, weak, or cowardly.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} In gay speech the word ''bitch'' can refer approvingly to a man who is unusually assertive or has the characteristics used pejoratively of a woman.
The term ''bitch'' is one of the most common [[profanity|profanities]] in the English language. It has been used as a "term of contempt towards women" for "over six centuries",<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tamayo |first=Yvonne A. |date=2009-02-14 |title='Rhymes with Rich': Power, Law, and the Bitch |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1468989 |journal=[[Willamette University College of Law]] |location=Rochester, NY |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1468989 |ssrn=1468989 |access-date=2021-04-12 |archive-date=2024-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517024802/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1468989 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is a slur that fosters [[sexism]] against women.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-25|title=Women reflect on sexist slur that often goes unpunished|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/women-reflect-on-sexist-slur-that-often-goes-unpunished|access-date=2021-04-12|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412040315/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/women-reflect-on-sexist-slur-that-often-goes-unpunished|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been characterized as "an archaic word demeaning women since as early as the 15th century" that seeks to control women.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Drexler|first=Peggy|title=How the 'B-word' is used to keep women down|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/opinions/drexler-rbf/index.html|access-date=2021-04-12|website=CNN|date=10 August 2015|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412040314/https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/opinions/drexler-rbf/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The word is considered [[taboo]] in mainstream media, and euphemisms such as "the B-word" are used to minimize its negative impact.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=HALL JAMIESON|first=KATHLEEN|date=Summer 2008|title=The 'B' Word in Traditional News and on the Web|url=https://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/377|journal=Nieman Reports|issue=377|pages=31–33|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2024-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517024808/https://repository.upenn.edu/items/1e25523d-a80b-4e99-83b1-be305e4ec867|url-status=live}}</ref>

The term ''bitch'' literally means a female [[dog]]. Its original use as a vulgarism carried a meaning suggesting high [[sexual desire]] in a woman, comparable to a [[canine reproduction|dog in heat]].<ref name=":0"/> The range of meanings has expanded in modern usage (such as when applied to a man). In a [[feminism|feminist]] context, it can indicate a strong or [[assertive]] woman and has therefore been [[reappropriated]] by some women.<ref name="zeisler">[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/magazine/06wwln_q4.html?ex=1312516800&en=bd6388aef33693d1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Pop Goes the Feminist] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020154630/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/magazine/06wwln_q4.html?ex=1312516800&en=bd6388aef33693d1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |date=2018-10-20 }}, [[Deborah Solomon]] interviews [[Andi Zeisler]], ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 6, 2006.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Pregnant bitch mongrel Jan 2008 Shot in Jalandhar Punjab India by gopal1035 017.jpg|thumb|Literally, a ''[[Dog|bitch]]'' is a female dog; as an insult, it originally compared a woman to a dog [[in heat]]]]
According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', the term ''bitch'' comes from the Old English word ''bicce'' or ''bicge'', meaning "female dog", which dates to around 1000 CE. It may have derived from the earlier Old Norse word ''bikkja'', also meaning "female dog".<ref name=OED>{{citation |contribution=bitch, n. 1 |title=Oxford English Dictionary Online |publisher=Oxford University Press |contribution-url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19524?isAdvanced=false&result=1&rskey=ucGD6t& |access-date=10 August 2017 |title-link=Oxford English Dictionary |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517024805/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bitch_n1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nytimes07">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/nyregion/07bword.html|title=It's a Female Dog, or Worse. Or Endearing. And Illegal?|last=Grynbaum|first=Michael M.|date=August 7, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=2009-10-01|archive-date=2008-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424143741/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/nyregion/07bword.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Dog" has long been used as an insult toward both women and men. In [[ancient Greece]], dog was often used in a derogatory sense to refer to someone whose behavior was improper or transgressive. This could include shamelessness or lack of restraint, lack of hospitality, lack of loyalty, and indiscriminate or excessive violence, among other qualities.<ref name="Franco">{{cite book |last=Franco |first=Cristiana |title= Shameless: The Canine and the Feminine in Ancient Greece |publisher= University of California Press |date=2014 |isbn= 978-0-520-27340-5|oclc=886107785}}</ref> Over time, classicist C. Franco argues, a "persistent symbolic connection" developed between dogs and women in Greek literature that expressed and reinforced women's subordinate position in society and their supposedly inferior nature.<ref name="Franco" />

There may also be a connection between less literal senses of "bitch" and the Greek goddess [[Artemis]]. As she is the goddess of the hunt, she was often portrayed with a pack of hunting dogs and sometimes transformed into an animal herself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://clarebayley.com/2011/06/bitch-a-history/|title=The Evolution of Bitch in the English Language|access-date=October 20, 2015|website=Bitch a History|last=Bayley|first=Clare|archive-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907162256/http://clarebayley.com/2011/06/bitch-a-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was seen as free, vigorous, cold, impetuous, unsympathetic, wild, and beautiful.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Greek Goddesses|last=Higginson|first=Thomas|publisher=Middlebury College|page=197}}</ref>

The earliest use of "bitch" specifically as a derogatory term for women dates to the 15th century.<ref name="OED" /><ref name="nytimes07" /> Its earliest slang meaning mainly referred to [[human sexual behavior|sexual behavior]], according to the English language historian Geoffrey Hughes:<ref name="hughes">Hughes, Geoffrey. ''Encyclopedia of Swearing : The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-Speaking World''. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2006.</ref>

<blockquote>
The early applications were to a promiscuous or sensual woman, a metaphorical extension of the behavior of a bitch in heat. Herein lies the original point of the powerful insult ''son of a bitch,'' found as ''biche sone'' ca. 1330 in ''[[Of Arthour and of Merlin|Arthur and Merlin]]'' ... while in a spirited exchange in the [[Chester Mystery Plays|''Chester Play'']] (ca. 1400) a character demands: "Whom callest thou queine, skabde bitch?" ("Who are you calling a whore, you miserable bitch?").
</blockquote>

''Bitch'' remained a strong insult through the nineteenth century. The entry in [[Francis Grose]]'s ''[[Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue]]'' (1785) reads:

<blockquote>
A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation
that can be given to an English woman, even more
provoking than that of whore, as may be gathered from the
regular [[Billingsgate|Billinsgate]] or [[St Giles, London|St Giles]] answer—"I may be a
whore, but can't be a bitch."<ref>Grose, Francis. ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=20&fk_files=9510 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue]''. Hosted at [[Project Gutenberg]]. Retrieved on January 9, 2007.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:Consolidated B-24D-160CO Liberator Strawberry Bitch NoseArt Airpower NMUSAF 25Sep09 (14599816575).jpg|thumb|A preserved [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] with [[nose art]] titled "Strawberry Bitch" from c. 1942.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Consolidated B-24D Liberator |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196286/consolidated-b-24d-liberator/https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196286/consolidated-b-24d-liberator/ |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=National Museum of the United States Air Force |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Airplanes were often painted by American flight crews and named after women, popular characters or slang based on the art in magazines at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Noseart, a colorful view on WWII Aviation |url=https://www.flightjacket.com/blog/post/noseart-a-colorful-view-on-wwii-aviation |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=www.flightjacket.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727235115/https://www.flightjacket.com/blog/post/noseart-a-colorful-view-on-wwii-aviation |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Throughout the word's evolution into the nineteenth century, it became gradually less offensive. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' in the nineteenth century described the insult as "strictly a lewd or sensual woman".<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Bitch|last=Gross|first=Beverly|date=1994|journal=Salmagundi}}</ref> The word went through many similar phases throughout history. It was not until the 20th century that feminism began to reevaluate the term and its appropriation.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Social Harms of 'Bitch'|last1=Kleinman|first1=Sherryl|date=Spring 2009|journal=Sociological Analysis|first2=Matthew|last2=Ezzel|last3=Frost|first3=A. Corey|url=https://www.jmu.edu/socanth/sociology/wm_library/Ezzell.Reclaiming_Critical_Analysis.pdf|access-date=2021-03-25|archive-date=2021-03-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307002849/https://www.jmu.edu/socanth/sociology/wm_library/Ezzell.Reclaiming_Critical_Analysis.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 1920s, ''bitch'' became once again a common insult used against women. The term ''bitch'' became more popular in common language during this era. Between 1915 and 1930, the use of "bitch" in newspapers and literature more than doubled.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Google Ngram Viewer|url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=bitch&year_start=1915&year_end=1930&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%253B%252Cbitch%253B%252Cc0|website=books.google.com|access-date=2015-10-23}}</ref> The writing of [[Ernest Hemingway]] popularized the more modern meaning of "bitch" in this era. He used it to represent favorable qualities such as ferocity, edginess, and grit.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet the New Bitch|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/meet-the-new-bitch/386246/|website=[[The Atlantic]]|date=17 March 2015|access-date=2015-10-23|archive-date=2015-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027001735/http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/meet-the-new-bitch/386246/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was during this time that women began gaining more freedom (such as the right to vote through the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Nineteenth Amendment]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women%27s Right to Vote|url=https://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13&title.raw=19th+Amendment+to+the+U.S.+Constitution:+Women%2527s+Right+to+Vote|website=www.archives.gov|access-date=2015-10-20|archive-date=2015-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020043844/http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13&title.raw=19th+Amendment+to+the+U.S.+Constitution%3A+Women%27s+Right+to+Vote|url-status=live}}</ref> The word "bitch" during the twenties meant "malicious or consciously attempting to harm", "difficult, annoying, or interfering", and "sexually brazen or overly vulgar".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/zoe-triska/post_4332_b_2526243.html|title=You Say 'Bitch' Like It's A Bad Thing: Examining the Implications of the Notorious Word|date=January 23, 2013|access-date=October 18, 2015|website=The Huffington Post|last=Triska|first=Zoë|archive-date=May 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517024804/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/post_b_2526243|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to Dr. Timothy Jay, there are "over 70 different taboo words", but 80 percent of the time only ten words are used, and ''bitch'' is included in that set.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jay |first1=Timothy |title=The Utility and Ubiquity of Taboo Words |journal=Perspectives on Psychological Science |date=March 2009 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=153–161 |doi=10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01115.x |pmid=26158942 |s2cid=34370535 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/894512 |access-date=2018-04-20 |archive-date=2020-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326155704/https://zenodo.org/record/894512 |url-status=live }}</ref> Being called the term ''bitch'' has been associated with worsening the mental health of women.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Klonoff|first1=Elizabeth A.|last2=Landrine|first2=Hope|last3=Campbell|first3=Robin|date=March 2000|title=Sexist Discrimination May Account for Well-Known Gender Differences in Psychiatric Symptoms|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01025.x|journal=Psychology of Women Quarterly|language=en|volume=24|issue=1|pages=93–99|doi=10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01025.x|s2cid=143941020|issn=0361-6843|access-date=2023-01-16|archive-date=2023-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116233002/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2000.tb01025.x|url-status=live}}</ref>

==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".

==In reference to men==
{{more citations needed|date=July 2022}}
When used to describe a male, ''bitch'' may also confer the meaning of subordinate, especially to another male, as in [[prison]]. Generally, this term is used to indicate that the person is acting outside the confines of their gender roles, such as when women are assertive or aggressive, or when men are passive or servile. According to [[James C. Coyne|James Coyne]] from the Department of Psychology at the University of California, "'Bitch' serves the social function of isolating and discrediting a class of people who do not conform to the socially accepted patterns of behavior."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Coyne |first1=James C. |last2=Sherman |first2=Richard C. |last3=O'Brien |first3=Karen |title=Expletives and woman's place |journal=Sex Roles |date=December 1978 |volume=4 |issue=6 |pages=827–835 |doi=10.1007/bf00287702 |s2cid=143420865}}</ref>

==Idioms==
===Son of a bitch===
The first known appearance of "son-of-a-bitch" in a work of American fiction is ''[[Seventy-Six (novel)|Seventy-Six]]'' (1823), a [[historical fiction]] novel set during the [[American Revolutionary War]] by eccentric writer and critic [[John Neal]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sears |first=Donald A. |title=John Neal |publisher=Twayne Publishers |location=Boston, Massachusetts |year=1978 |isbn=0-8057-7230-8 |page=46}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Barnes |first=Albert F. |title=Greater Portland Celebration 350 |publisher=Guy Gannett Publishing Co. |location=Portland, Maine |year=1984 |isbn=0-930096-58-4 |page=47}}</ref> The protagonist, Jonathan Oadley, recounts a battle scene in which he is mounted on a horse: "I wheeled, made a dead set at the son-of-a-bitch in my rear, unhorsed him, and actually broke through the line."<ref>{{cite book |last=Neal |first=John |author-link=John Neal |title=Seventy-Six; or, Love and Battle |series=Novel newspaper; no. 87 |publisher=J. Cunningham |location=London, England |year=1840 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008957328 |orig-year=originally published as ''Seventy-Six'' in 1823 |page=52 |access-date=2020-08-23 |archive-date=2020-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710224931/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008957328 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:DSCF0444 (3164436583).jpg|thumb|256x256px|An engraving at the [[National Museum of the Marine Corps]] quoting [[Daniel Daly]] during a battle in World War I. According to Marine Corp lore, he said "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" before a charge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Charley |date=2022-03-02 |title="Come on, You Sons of Bitches, Do You Want to Live Forever?"– A Hero Rises Among Heroes |url=https://thewarhorse.org/dan-daly-wwi-medal-of-honor-marines-legend-lives-on/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=The War Horse |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728000248/https://thewarhorse.org/dan-daly-wwi-medal-of-honor-marines-legend-lives-on/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iconic Artifacts |url=https://www.usmcmuseum.com/iconic-artifacts.html |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=National Museum of the Marine Corps |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528121702/https://www.usmcmuseum.com/iconic-artifacts.html |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The term's use as an insult is as old as that of ''bitch''. [[euphemism|Euphemistic]] terms are often substituted, such as ''gun'' in the phrase "[[son of a gun]]" as opposed to "son of a bitch", or "s.o.b." for the same phrase. Like ''bitch'', the severity of the insult has diminished. [[Roy Blount Jr.]] in 2008 extolled the virtues of "son of a bitch" (particularly in comparison to "asshole") in common speech and deed.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.esquire.com/features/son-of-a-bitch/sob-0708 |title=The Word Son of a Bitch – Epithets |magazine=Esquire |date=2008-06-18 |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214080131/http://www.esquire.com/features/son-of-a-bitch/sob-0708 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Son of a bitch'' can also be used as a "how about that" reaction, or as a reaction to excruciating pain.

In politics the phrase "Yes, he is a son of a bitch, but he is ''our'' son of a bitch" has been attributed, probably apocryphally, to various U.S. presidents from [[Franklin Roosevelt]] to [[Richard Nixon]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Son of a Bitch|date=28 August 2013|url=https://arnulfo.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/our-son-of-a-bitch/|access-date=13 April 2016|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305015252/https://arnulfo.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/our-son-of-a-bitch/|url-status=live}}</ref> Immediately after the detonation of the [[first atomic bomb]] in Alamogordo, [[New Mexico]], in July 1945 (the device codenamed Gadget), the [[Manhattan Project]] scientist who served as the director of the test, [[Kenneth Tompkins Bainbridge]], exclaimed to [[Robert Oppenheimer]] "Now we're all sons-of-bitches."<ref>{{cite web|title=Science Quotes by Kenneth Bainbridge|url=http://todayinsci.com/B/Bainbridge_Kenneth/BainbridgeKenneth-Quotations.htm|access-date=2016-04-13|archive-date=2015-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730003042/http://todayinsci.com/B/Bainbridge_Kenneth/BainbridgeKenneth-Quotations.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2022, U.S. president [[Joe Biden]] was recorded on a [[hot mic]] responding to [[Fox News]] correspondent [[Peter Doocy]] asking, "Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?" Biden responded sarcastically, saying, "It's a great asset—more inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boak |first1=Josh |title=Biden caught on hot mic swearing at Fox News reporter |url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-fox-news-reporter-comment-c8a0e3b574d03cf7a2e6140673f59122 |work=AP News |date=24 January 2022 |publisher=AP |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125160637/https://apnews.com/article/biden-fox-news-reporter-comment-c8a0e3b574d03cf7a2e6140673f59122 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 19th-century British racehorse [[Filho da Puta]] took its name from "Son of a Bitch" in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]].

The [[Curtiss SB2C]], a World War II U.S. Navy dive bomber, was called "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class" by some of its pilots and crewmen.

===In cards===
To have the "bitch end" of a hand in poker is to have the weaker version of the same hand as another player. This situation occurs especially in poker games with [[community card]]s. For example, to have a lower straight than one's opponent is to have the bitch end.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}

''The bitch'' is slang for the queen of spades.<ref>{{cite web |author=New Jersey Free Poker |url=http://www.worldfreepoker.com/poker-glossary.html#B |title=Poker Glossary Poker Terms and Poker Definitions and Poker Meanings |publisher=Worldfreepoker.com |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-date=2012-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501051848/http://www.worldfreepoker.com/poker-glossary.html#B |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Other forms==
When used as a [[verb]], to bitch means to [[complain]]. Usage in this context is almost always [[pejorative]] in intent.<ref name = "dictionary"/>
As an adjective, the term sometimes has a meaning opposite its usual connotations. Something that is bitching (''the'' bitch) is really great. For example, an admired motorcycle may be praised as a "bitchin' bike".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/01/northrop-unveil/ | magazine=Wired | first=Noah | last=Shachtman | title=Northrop Unveils Bitchin' Bomber-Cycle | date=2009-01-14 | access-date=2017-03-05 | archive-date=2013-09-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914164545/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/01/northrop-unveil/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Wiktionary|bitch}}
*[[Basic bitches]]
*[[Bitch (Law & Order)|"Bitch" (''Law & Order'')]]
*[[Bitch (magazine)|''Bitch'' magazine]]
*[[Bitch Wars]]
*[[Bitch (Meredith Brooks song)|"Bitch" (Meredith Brooks song)]]
*[[Bottom bitch]]
*[[Profanity]]
*{{section link|Third-wave feminism#Reclaiming derogatory terms}}
*{{annotated link|Saint Clement and Sisinnius inscription}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* ''Why Women Who Succeed Are Called Bitch'' by Leonard Pitts, [[Miami Herald]], November 2007.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090722064525/http://www.elizabethwurtzel.com/work2.htm Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women ] by [[Elizabeth Wurtzel]]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/16/AR2007111601202.html?sub=new The B-Word? You Betcha.], ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* Hughes, Geoffrey. ''Encyclopedia of Swearing : The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English-Speaking World.'' Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2006.
* [https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200410/tsingloh ''The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage'', Cathy Hanaeur, ed.], reviews in the [[Atlantic (magazine)]] by [[Sandra Tsing Loh]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bitch (Insult)}}
[[Category:Pejorative terms for women]]
[[Category:English profanity]]
[[Category:Slang terms for women]]
[[Category:Slang terms for men]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Dogs]]
[[Category:Misogyny]]