What defines a bitch?
1. It is a female dog.
2. A women considered to be spiteful and overbearing
3. A lewd woman
4. A slang complaint
(Thefreedictionary.com)
To call
a woman a “bitch” is one of the most ultimate of insults. However, modern society has twisted the meaning of the foul word, especially in the hip-hop music industry. Today, many of us have grown accustomed to hearing the “b-word” in rap songs. Now, female rap artists are even referring to themselves as bitches! The misconstrued definition of a “bitch” has been passed on from music into young adult culture, and nowadays, we hear it being used casually all of the time.
These rap artists neglect the true meaning of the degrading word. What happened to the days where a girl would slap a guy in the face if he called her a bitch? Now, some girls take the word as a compliment. Why? Because all a guy has to do is put a flattering adjective in front of the word bitch, for example “sexy bitch, pretty bitch, or bad bitch,” and ta-daa: compliment! The music industry shoulders some of the blame for this misunderstanding.
Female rap artists have a huge influence on college girls. They have catchy songs that make us think they are all about feminism; however, calling themselves a “bad bitch” is still degrading. We hear their songs on the radio every day and we watch their videos on television. In this way, the “b-word” is spread throughout society to be a sort of female empowerment of reclaiming the word—but the attempt to use it as such does not change the meaning at all!
Yes, Nicki Minaj has some fun songs to party to, but a woman should not recite the lyrics outside of the party. In a lot of her songs she calls herself a “bad bitch.” These songs are number one hits and chart-toppers! It is surprising the impact a rap artist can have by making a disrespectful word sound flattering and acceptable. Other female rappers, such as Trina, are notorious for misusing the word as well. While it can be very inappropriate and offensive for a male rap artist to drop the “b-word,” it is almost worse for a female rap artist to do so because it suggests to everyone the degrading term is acceptable to use.
I am in no way bashing female rap artists—most of them are genius lyricists. Instead, I am stressing the importance of respect for women. We need to watch our vocabulary. If we refer to ourselves as “bitches,” it gives men—and other women—justification to do the same. No educated women should—or, in most cases, would—ever refer to herself as a “bad bitch.” Has anyone ever heard Michelle Obama refer to herself as a “smart bitch?” I don’t think so.
We must not degrade ourselves just because someone famous uses a term with a negative connotation. As collegiettes, we must set an example! We are not bitches.