Reply #27: The word "bitch" doesn't bother me anymore.

[xmas74]

It used to make me very upset when someone referred to me as one. I realized one day that most of the situations where the word was used toward me were situations where, for once, I took control of my actions and made my own decisions. After that moment I made the decision to own that word.
When people sometimes ask me to describe myself I will use "bitch" as one of the words. It always gets a response (usually a slightly open mouth look or a double-take). I explain to them that being a bitch means that I have taken charge of my own life the best that I can. I make my own decisions and I accept the consequences of my actions, whether positive or negative. I stand up for what is right, whether it is the most popular view or not.
I have often wondered what would happen if every woman commandeered this word for themselves. What would happen if we stood up proudly every single time someone called each and every one of us a bitch? IMO, if the word were claimed by every woman as a positive word (not the original meaning pertaining to dogs, but the meaning that is meant to be harsh and abrasive) it would lose most of its power. And I have noticed that since I claimed the word most people no longer fling it at me as a way to hurt me. They know that it doesn't have any power on me.
BTW-I refer to men as sluts also. I work w/ some younger women and I have heard them often refer to men of loose morals w/ the same word. I think that this word might die out eventually as a way to hurt just women-but that's just from observation.