The hyper-categorisation of women.

Phoebe Morse

We all remember learning ‘bad’ words as kids, ones that our parents desperately tried to hush up. I remember the feeling of doing something rebellious, knowing the word I had just whispered to a friend in primary school was ‘bad’, but enjoying the power that came with saying something so censored. Of course, as you grow older and swear words become part of your daily vernacular (at least, some of ours) you lose that sense of illicitness and rebelliousness. 

Still, they retain a special place in our everyday language, used for emphasis, in moments of high emotion, the first thing to learn when attempting a new language (what happened to hi? Hello?). However, throughout this journey from hush-hush to casual f-bomb, I always had a nagging feeling. One that perhaps at first couldn’t be articulated, but one I eventually understood. I questioned the nature of words that are used against, or were originally derogatory towards, women. 

What was striking to me, even before reaching double digits, was the vitriol with which most slurs towards women are spoken and that they imply. The dehumanising ‘bitch’: spat at one another on daytime television, the slandered ‘whore’ in your Year 7 English Literature reading – remember what the colour red symbolises? Why are we so concerned with a woman’s sexual activities as these words imply? Why are we so ready to dehumanise or reduce women down to one body part? 

Even when considering some of the words directed towards men, the insult appears to be directed towards a woman in his life, particularly his mother. ‘Son-of-a-bitch’ is obvious, and ‘bastard’ questions one’s parentage, with particular regards to one’s mother’s sexually subversive behaviour. Of course, there is a plethora of slang words that describe various male genitalia, but these feel less venomous, to be found in light-hearted banter amongst mates down at the pub (think ‘knob’, ‘bollocks’, etc.). Many of the insults typically directed towards men concern their intelligence and capability, whilst women are suppressed on the basis of their bodies. Some of the words and slurs that are typically regarded as the most insulting for men liken them to women or attempt to ‘feminise’ them. The worst thing a man can be is feminine. As Deborah James argues, swear words are used to reinforce societal expectations from a male perspective.¹ What is reinforced through our language is the subordinate position of women and the disregard for the feminine. 

Words are being (and have been) increasingly reclaimed, with many women reclaiming certain terms as other minority groups have done. As they lose that feeling of illicitness, we come to see it was not just these specific words that sought to reinforce traditional ideas of a woman’s ‘place’ and behaviour. As popular memes and viral TikToks worm their way into our daily speech, we see what I call the hyper-categorisation of women and girls. If you have been on the internet (sorry to all those who actually focus on their degrees) in the last couple of years you will recognise the terms, ‘Hot Cheeto Girl’, ‘Office Siren’, ‘Pick-Me’, ‘Girl Boss’, and most one of the most egregious: ‘bop’. Not all are derogatory, some fitting into fashion trends and used to describe certain aesthetics, lifestyles and inspirations. However, many have negative connotations and associations, if not being simply derogatory. Even the word ‘females’ has morphed into an insult, spoken almost as if in italics, carrying the weight of degradation and implying inferiority. Women’s emotions, personalities, relationships, even senses of style all have potential to be the butt of a joke or a profitable marketing tactic. Our language constantly repeats the same-old story of categorising women and reducing them down to one trait. We are no longer slandered as the town harlot in the town square, but called a ‘pick-me’ in a group chat. It is never just imposed upon us. We ourselves attempt to mould ourselves and other women along certain lines, whether it be calling someone an ‘e-girl’ when she wears eyeliner, or curating your own life along a ‘cottagecore’ aesthetic. 

Not all is doom and gloom, considering the many positive words used amongst groups of friends and traded in club bathrooms to uplift and complement women. For example, the word ‘diva’: once used to negatively portray women, particularly in the performing arts, who were seen as too demanding or being too egotistical due to success. ‘Diva’ is now used in greetings, has been reclaimed as flattery and even sometimes included in one of the highest forms of complement; hyping up a particularly good outfit or move on the dance floor. These categories promulgated by the internet can help one understand style, discover music and connect with others. As Chi Luu argues, ‘reclaiming negative terms can work towards diluting the original meaning as others embrace new senses that develop from memes.’²

Much of this is owed to both the feminist and LGBTQ+ movements, in particular the LGBTQ+ community. Originating from the New York ballrooms, and underground gay-scene across the globe, reclamations of the words ‘bitch’, ‘cunt’ and ‘diva’ have been used to create more inclusive environments and reconsider the gender binary. It is from both this community, and from AAVE, where much of the internet slang that we know (or use ironically once the terms have been done to death) originates and it is crucial to recognise the changes this has brought about. However, misogyny permeates these communities and my main argument applies here too: we need to unpack our language and discuss how we use it, even if it is more complex than it first appears.

As we move into a time where the gap between the political beliefs of young men and women grows ever wider, we must interrogate our use of language.³ We must deconstruct what is regarded as ‘casual’, embedded within our culture or even what we see as a harmless internet trend. I don’t proclaim to be a saint, and won’t attempt to announce ‘thou shalt not call your best friend bitch (affectionate)’. But I do ask that we consider more deeply the layers of misogyny integrated into our lives through language and social media. 

1. James, Deborah. “Gender-Linked Derogatory Terms and Their Use by Women and Men.” American Speech 73, no. 4 (1998): 399–420. https://doi.org/10.2307/455584.
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2. Luu, Chi. ‘“Bad Language for Nasty Women (and Other Gendered Insults)’, JSTOR Daily, (2016) https://daily.jstor.org/the-language-of-nasty-women-and-other-gendered-insults/ ↩︎
3. See the Financial Times report on the global trends of a gender divide in politics amongst Gen Z: https://www.ft.com/content/29fd9b5c-2f35-41bf-9d4c-994db4e12998 
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