Proverbs 31:17

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

I am Woman

One of my most serious pet peeves is the various word descriptions people use when referring to a woman. Some women have even adopted these words to call themselves. When I hear these words, especially when spoken by women to women, for me, it is like the equivalent of someone scratching across the chalkboard with their fingernails. There are many words used such as chickenhead, bitch, slut, hoe, cougar, c&%*, etc. the list goes on. However, what is more disturbing is not only are women being called these derogatory names, a few of these words are beginning to be acceptable as terms of endearment and proudly displayed as a badge of honor by some women.  Many times we adopt words without understanding its meaning or origins because it goes along with the latest slang trends. I decided to do a little research of my own out of curiosity to find out how these words became a part of the vocabulary of street slang. Shall we begin…

Slut: Although the ultimate origin of the word slut is unknown, it first appeared in Middle English in 1402 as slutte (AHD), with the meaning "a dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman" Even earlier, Geoffrey Chaucer used the word sluttish (c. 1386) to describe a slovenly man; however, later uses appear almost exclusively associated with women. The modern sense of "a sexually promiscuous woman" dates to at least 1450. The word was originally used around 1450 in the late Middle English language. It was used to describe a woman as dirty, or refer to her as a prostitute, harlot, or immoral woman. The word slut also took a similar form around the same era in the Norwegian language as “slutr” sleet, also known as impure liquor. *wikipedia

C&%*: The etymology of "c&%*" is a matter of debate, but most sources consider the word to have derived from a Germanic word (Proto-Germanic *kuntō, stem *kuntōn-), which appeared as kunta in Old Norse. Scholars are uncertain of the origin of the Proto-Germanic form itself. There are cognates in most Germanic languages, such as the Swedish, Faroese and Nynorsk kunta; West Frisian and Middle Low German kunte; Middle Dutch conte; Dutch kut & kont; Middle Low German kutte; Middle High German kotze ("prostitute"); German kott, and perhaps Old English cot. The etymology of the Proto-Germanic term is disputed. It may have arisen by Grimm's law operating on the Proto-Indo-European root *gen/gon "create, become" seen in gonads, genital, gamete, genetics, gene, or the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷneh₂/guneh₂ "woman" (Greek: gunê, seen in gynaecology). Relationships to similar-sounding words such as the Latin cunnus ("vulva"), and its derivatives French con, Spanish coño, and Portuguese cona, or in Persian kun (کون), have not been conclusively demonstrated. Other Latin words related to cunnus are cuneus ("wedge") and its derivative cunēre ("to fasten with a wedge", (figurative) "to squeeze in"), leading to English words such as cuneiform ("wedge-shaped"). In Middle English, cunt appeared with many spellings, such as coynte, cunte and queynte, which did not always reflect the actual pronunciation of the word. *wikipedia

Cougar: The origin of the word cougar as a slang term is debated, but it is thought to have originated in Western Canada and first appeared in print on the Canadian dating website Cougardate.com. It has also been stated to have "originated in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a put-down for older women who would go to bars and go home with whoever was left at the end of the night. *wikipedia

Chickenhead: "Chickenhead" is a derogatory American English slang term that can refer either to a "dumb female" or, derisively, to someone who performs f^#@$*!~. The term "chickenhead" has been mentioned in the context of misogyny in hip hop culture. Ronald Weitzer and Charis Kubrin note that "A favorite rap term is 'chickenhead,' which reduces a woman to a bobbing head giving &*%$ @!*&." Bakari Kitwana argues that many rappers refer to women, black women in particular, as "bitches, gold diggers, hoes, hoodrats, chickenheads, pigeons, and so on." Johnnetta B. Cole argues that hip hop's tradition to refer to black women in such terms disrespects and vilifies them’*wikipedia

Hoe: 1. a skank, 2. a woman that is too loose in the booty. 4. A promiscuous person. http://www.urbandictionary.com

Whore~1530s spelling alteration (see wh-) of Middle English hore, from Old English hore "prostitute, harlot," from Proto-Germanic *horaz (fem. *horon-) "one who desires" (cognates: Old Norse hora "adulteress," Danish hore, Swedish hora, Dutch hoer, Old High German huora "whore;" in Gothic only in the masc. hors "adulterer, fornicator," also as a verb, horinon "commit adultery")www.etymonline.com 

Bitch: literally meaning a female dog, is a slang pejorative for a person, commonly a woman, who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, a control freak, rudely intrusive or aggressive. *wikipedia

Interesting, isn’t it? The two words that are used the most to describe women is “bitch” and “hoe” which actually do have legitimate definitions that we use to describe something:

Bitch: A female dog or other canine. In particular one who has recently had puppies.

Hoe: An agricultural tool consisting of a long handle with a flat blade fixed perpendicular to it at the end, used for digging rows.

What I found interesting with the word “hoe” is unlike bitch, there is no meaning to this word other than the reference of a garden tool. (except for the urban slang definition). The closest I came to a meaning in the dictionary is the reference to a whore and I wondered, (as you can see in the above definition, there is a reference to whore being abbreviated to “hore”) if you eliminate the letter “r” it would be “hoe.”

The point is all these words are not complimentary descriptions to be used to define a respectable woman. As women, how we perceive ourselves and each other is essential to demanding and receiving the proper respect in today’s society. We have come too far to be respected and taken seriously as intelligent and thinking people of the feminine persuasion; it is a step backwards when we allow ourselves to be reduced to “bitches and hoes.” 

So let us take back the proper terms and descriptions that define who we are as “ladies and women"  in this current society. 

When we respect ourselves and each other, we exhibit the confidence of a woman who knows who she is, what she wants and will not accept anything less in how she is perceived and treated by anyone.