Popular music artist Chappell Roans’ fame skyrocketed in 2024, landing her the Best New Artist award at the Grammys this year. She became so popular because of her unique style, lyrics, and use of controversial slang on stage. Her use of slang helped to shed light on a relatively recent movement against sexist slang.
Women have faced sexism in slang for years. It isn’t uncommon to hear a woman being called a derogatory term just for being assertive or unwavering in her opinion. There is a wide ranging vocabulary of sexist words, and it doesn’t seem like these words are going to disappear any time soon. Because of this, women are taking initiative and changing the connotation of the words that were previously used against them.
This, for now, is the best case scenario. Asking everyone to stop using a large range of words is an unrealistic goal, but changing the connotation and the situations the words are used in is achievable and should be done.
Throughout history, women have been put down and made to feel small by being compared to animals. The technical definition of a b*tch is a female dog. In the past, women have been called this when they are acting anything other than compliant because they are “b*tching like a dog”.
Women are also compared to pussycats. When a woman is referred in some similar way, she’s being compared to a scaredy cat; it’s to make her feel weak and nervous.
When these terms are used against men, often by other men, it’s to insult them and question their strength by comparing them to women. It’s sad that one of the worst insults a man can face is that they are acting like a woman.
Women are slowly but surely changing the way these words are used. B*tch is becoming a word with a non-specific connotation. It is now being used in a more casual or witty way rather than in an insulting one.
The “C-word” is another word that has undergone massive changes. It’s historically been taboo. It was an offensive slang word to refer to a vagina or a woman. But it has changed a lot recently due to a new phrase: “serving c***”. This short but powerful phrase was popularized by Roan when she started using it on stage. It means that a woman is showing strength and attitude and doesn’t feel bad about it. It’s a term of endearment. Women have successfully taken something that was previously tasteless and changed it into something powerful and uplifting.
While sexist slang words are often vulgar, some sexist terms are more subtle. The word bachelor is used to describe an unmarried man. When thinking of someone as a bachelor, you probably think of a handsome and successful man. The equivalent of the term bachelor for women is spinster. Spinster is used to describe a woman as unmarried, unwanted, and an old maid. This is another example where women are punished for being independent, while men are celebrated. According to Smithsonian Magazine, it wasn’t until 2005 that the terms spinster and bachelor were removed from official documents in England and Wales.
Slang that isn’t as “loud” as other vulgar terms can still be just as threatening. Because it initially sound less extreme, it is harder to catch when someone is using it. But just because the term isn’t vulgar, it doesn’t mean it isn’t offensive.
Changing the meaning or the way we use these words is more important than ever. Some women have dedicated their lives to climbing through the ranks of their respective fields, and yet, are still attacked for being powerful. Though his campaign denied it, President Donald J. Trump was accused of calling then-Vice President Kamala Harris several of these derogatory terms.
Harris wouldn’t have endured as much sexist shaming during her campaign if she weren’t a woman. Trump and his campaign used sexist language against Harris because she is a woman, but for others, it was more complicated than that. When claims that she had affairs earlier in her career emerged, her political opponents latched onto them and never let go. Some even discredited her career because of it, saying she slept her way to the top. Because of this, they thought that using sexist slang against her was justifiable.
Be a part of the change. If you use any famously sexist slang, don’t use it for its original meaning or in a sexist manner. Women deserve to live their lives free of being put down by these overused and outdated terms.
