But according to a new study, there’s a significant rise in female performers using specific – arguably sexist – language. The study by Startle, an audiovisuals firm, found that the use of the word “bitch” has almost doubled in the past two decades in the UK’s top 100 chart listings. Words like “pussy” and “hoe” have also increased.
The artists cited in this discussion include Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Beyoncé – feminist icons who would, I’m sure, tell you that they’re reclaiming the words that they use. And let’s face it, the general public likes nothing more than an excuse to flay one or any of those women for their behaviour.
But no matter how hard I’ll fight to defend the right of a woman to use whatever language she wants, the more I look at the facts, the harder that position becomes to defend. Realistically, the complexities of the use of these words, legitimate as they are to the writer, might be lost when the songs are on in the car or our headphones.
In Mean Girls, Tina Fey, as Ms Norbury, tells the female students: “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It only makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores”, and while I wish she were wrong, she probably isn’t. Normalising calling each other bitches makes it, well, normal. And unfortunately the research seems to suggest that misogynistic language has real, tangible outcomes in terms of violence towards women and girls.
square REBECCA REID
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Read MoreSimilarly, a paper titled “‘An Empirical Exploration Into the Measurement of Rape Culture” by Nicole Johnson and Dawn M. Johnson explores (with some very helpful diagrams) how “sexist talk and rape culture are intrinsically linked. Sexism, objectification, and the restrictive nature of traditional gender roles all feed into a culture of misogyny that create a barrier to women achieving equality – and perpetuate violence.”
When you look at the studies, it’s hard not to wonder why on earth any of us started using that kind of language in the first place. Why do I – a card carrying feminist – call my girlfriends bitches in casual conversation? Traditionally if you start using a slur it’s an act of reclaiming – think “dyke” or “queer”.
So, do we really need to stop calling ourselves bitches?
That’s kind of the point. And if it’s going to have even a whisper of a positive impact on the world that the next generation of women inherit, then regrettably I am going to have to refuse to any longer be a member of a WhatsApp group called “SLAGS”.
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