At what point did it become socially acceptable to refer to women as “bitches?”

I’ve heard this reference in just about every rap song that has ever met my ears. I’ve heard it from coworkers, peers and people passing me in the hall. Maybe it is my inner feminist rearing her head, but I for one, hate the word “bitch.” I hate, at least, the derogatory meaning it has come to carry.

Some offensive words have innocuous beginnings. Once upon a time, “bitch” simply referred to a female dog. But language is apt to transform, and so “bitch” transformed to have many meanings.

First, “bitch” came to refer to a woman who was lusty (like a dog in heat). Being lusty, she was also perceived as immoral. Secondly, society often deems successful, assertive women as “bitches.” When a woman does well for herself, people (even other women) mutter “bitch” under their breath, as though it is wrong of her to succeed. Third, I am by no means a hip-hop expert, but to me, the words “woman” and “bitch” seem largely interchangeable in rap. Lastly, “bitch” also has come to refer to a subordinate, especially among men. If some guy does a lot of unreciprocated favors, it is safe to say he has been called someone’s bitch at least once.

With these definitions in mind, here are some of the harmful messages the word “bitch” sends about women: (1) Women are not supposed to have sexual impulses.  If we do, we are considered immoral bitches.  (2) Women are not supposed to thrive or achieve in our society.  If we do, we are ostracized as overly assertive bitches.  (3)  All women are bitches (according to what I have gleaned from rappers like Kanye and Snoop Dogg—one need only glance at the cover art to witness the misogyny of his debut album “Doggystyle”).  (4) Women are inferior to men. The fact that subordinates are called “bitch,” a term that is largely used to describe women, implies that women are (still) the inferior sex.

A lot of men I know hate it when my inner feminist (I will call her Susie B.) is around.  They tell me that the subordination of women is in our past.  Susie B. tells them that the degradation of women is so deeply engrained in our culture, in our language, that the suppression of women cannot be a thing of the past.

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis describes how the way we speak about our world affects how we view it.  Since the term “bitch”, deprecating connotations and all, is directed at women in our speech, then our perceptions of women are likely to follow suit.  According to the Whorfian hypothesis, the use of the word “bitch” may cause society to view women, collectively, as immoral (by virtue of being lusty), ineffective, subordinate beings.

So, again, I need help understanding why the use of this term has become so widely accepted in our culture.  When Kanye West released “My Perfect Bitch” about girlfriend Kim Kardashian, he was surprised that some criticized the song on the grounds that the term was offensive. I, on the other hand, see very little inoffensive about it.
hawilson@mavs.coloradomesa.edu