There are many sayings here in the U.S., but many of them discriminate against women. Why does virtually every insult have a female connotation?
I have never heard someone say: “Stop being such a Pessimistic Paul or Neurotic Nathan.” No one says that.
And when it comes to the women, well, there’s an arsenal of comments, ranging from the coarse to the downright insulting. Few names are pleasant or kind, and many objectify women, such as “chick” or “doll.” I’ve even heard women greet each other by yelling, “Hello, b*tch!” or “Hey, whore!”
Since when did this become acceptable or tolerated? Since the release of the movie “Mean Girls”? These names degrade us to our core.
Meanwhile, men are far more fortunate; they are “pimps,” “studs” or “players.” Even while being promiscuous, men are extolled for their lack of morals while women are stripped of their value, treated poorly and often considered to be trashy.
What else do men have going for them? How about phrases like “son of a b****” or “bastard.” Take a second to consider who is really being insulted here. The survey says … females!
“Debbie Downer,” “Negative Nancy” and “Chatty Kathy” are less offensive, but they still play into the unflattering labeling of females. Being called a “Chatty Kathy” could not possibly be thought of as positive, since talkative women are regarded with a certain amount of disgust.
Perhaps the treatment or viewing of women is best illustrated by the song “Beep” by the Pussycat Dolls (even their name is a rather good example of objectification):
It’s funny how a man only thinks about the …
You got a real big heart, but I’m looking at your …
You got real big brains, but I’m looking at your …
Girl, there ain’t no pain in me looking at your …
Of course some of it has to do with human nature, but the simple truth of the matter is more and more people, including more and more females, are beginning to accept, advertise and view themselves in that manner, dressing up as “boy toys” or “eye candy.”
Just think, ladies, how many times did you look in the mirror today? How many minutes did you spend on your hair? How many revealing outfits do you own? How many of you have heard “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and felt ashamed, realizing you had more in common with Barbie than you previously thought?
We need to value ourselves before we can expect anyone else to do the same. Sometimes we should take a break from being “supergirl” or the life and soul of the party and let the men take us as we are, without the artificial additives or shallow behavior. Try going “au naturale” for a day — leave off the makeup and, even if you can’t quite ditch the mascara, that’s OK, too, try the bare minimum. See what happens!
It’s time to remember women weren’t made for pleasure, we were made to be equals. It’s time to recall our inner beauty, not just our outer beauty. It’s true that not everyone will see us for who we are, will see us without the masks and makeup and the fronts and disguises, as innocents pretending to be world-wise or older than our years or as spoiled brats pretending to be nice. Nonetheless, we can make the distinction ourselves and let karma take care of the rest.
I once heard someone say, “This game is a b*tch!” How can a game be a female dog? Do you realize that is the dictionary definition of that word. And what about the new meaning applied to “gay.” No longer meaning happy and carefree, gay (and the word “retarded”) is used to encompass anything from homework to homosexuals.
