PART I: We’re Not Like Other Girls…We’re Worse

How Nasty Women, Brat Girls, Cat Ladies, and Ice Queens are Reclaiming Gendered Insults and Backhanded Compliments as Viral Movements of Empowerment.

Aug 17, 2024

Watch out! This article includes words like vagina!

In the ongoing battleground of gendered language, where historical insults are challenged by modern empowerment, women are rewriting the script and transforming the very words used to diminish them into tools of empowerment.

Despite progress toward gender equity, insults are prime examples of language reinforcing age-old stereotypes, dating back to the one-sex model of Western Civilization. Yes, you read that correctly: the one-sex model. This was the belief that women were incomplete men, and that female anatomy was considered the inverted, and therefore inferior, version of male anatomy. (Think inside-out penis or Jack in the Box, but literally.) What’s even more incredible is that this model for civilization based on biological misconception spanned roughly from 500 BCE to the late 17th century.

You might be wondering, “Wait, what took them so long to figure out that lady purses were not suction-cupped shafts?” or “What happened when they realized female anatomy wasn’t just a game of hide and seek: sausage edition?” Enter the two-sex model. While this shifting paradigm acknowledged that women were not incomplete men, it was still entrenched in gender inequality. Yes, it promoted the idea that women were not inverted men and that they were complete on their own, but–wait for it–it also posited that women were complete in an inferior way.

For millennia, the two-sex model reinforced a strict male-female binary. Judith Butler challenged this, arguing that gender is not biologically inherent but socially constructed and performed. In Gender Trouble, Butler introduced “gender performativity,” suggesting that gender is a series of repeated behaviors aligned with societal expectations. This challenged the rigid binary and highlighted gender as fluid, allowing for a broader spectrum of identities and recognizing the complexity and diversity of human identity.

But for now, let’s travel back in time to the two-sex model. This gendered worldview reinforced the myth of biological determinism where women’s reproductive anatomy became the defining feature of their identity. The reduction of women to their ability to bear children was then used to justify their inequality, confinement to the domestic sphere, and their exclusion from public life.

Have you ever noticed that when you read novels about women from this time—circa the 18th and 19th centuries—the female characters are usually stuck inside sewing, sneaking out to have affairs to escape their prison-like marriages, or, in the more tragic cases, killing themselves? Women like Emma Bovary, Anna Karenina, and Hedda Gabler didn’t have many options since society decided that their biological boxes meant they needed to be kept inside the box of the domestic sphere and quite literally, their homes.

During this time, men were associated with strength (because nothing screams muscle like calling yourself an 'alpha'), rationality (ah yes, because the sex that starts wars is the epitome of logical), and activity (because, obviously, the more active sex is the one that’s allowed to leave the house). Meanwhile, women were linked to weakness, emotion, and passivity. These gendered characteristics were wrongly seen as biologically determined and natural, justifying social roles and hierarchies that placed men above women.

This association wasn’t just cultural; it was etched into the language itself. Take, for example, the word “hysteria,” derived from the Greek word “hystera,” meaning uterus. The term was historically used to describe a supposed disorder affecting women, rooted in the outdated belief that a woman’s uterus could wander around her body, causing her to become irrational or emotionally unstable. (Think Dora the explorer vibes, but more internal organs and less “Swiper no Swiping.”) This etymology perfectly encapsulates how women’s emotions were pathologized and weaponized against them, reinforcing the idea that femininity was synonymous with instability and fragility.

Wandering Uterus: “Excuse me, have you seen my tampon?”

The emphasis on reproduction further entrenched the belief that women’s bodies were inherently tied to nature and biology (because nothing says nature channel, especially shark week, like bleeding out between your legs once a month), while men’s bodies were linked to culture and intellect (you know, the important stuff like mansplaining, making up rules, and not asking for directions). This reinforced the gendered notion that men were more suited to leadership and intellectual pursuits, while women were naturally predisposed to caregiving and domestic tasks.

The two-sex model was not just a scientific theory but also a cultural and legal framework used to codify gender inequality. Laws, customs, and societal expectations were shaped by the belief that men and women had distinct and non-overlapping roles based on their biological sex. Women were denied many rights, including the right to own property, vote, or receive higher education, based on the assumption that their primary role was in the home. The legal system treated women as the property of their husbands or fathers, further entrenching their secondary status.

This historical framework continues to echo in modern politics. The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade stripped away federal protection for abortion rights, returning the power to regulate abortion to the states—many of which have since imposed severe restrictions. Project 2025, a conservative policy agenda spearheaded by The Heritage Foundation, seeks to further institutionalize these restrictions. The agenda includes proposals such as enacting a nationwide abortion ban after six weeks, defunding Planned Parenthood, restricting access to contraception, and reinterpreting Title IX to exclude protections based on gender identity. (Think Handmaid’s Tale, but instead of dystopian fiction, it’s a very possible reality for the future of America.) Additionally, Project 2025 advocates for the rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, the enforcement of traditional gender roles, and the reshaping of the federal judiciary to support these goals. These developments highlight a concerted effort to reassert patriarchal control over women’s bodies and lives, mirroring the same legal and cultural frameworks that historically dictated a woman’s place in society.

But this battle isn’t only fought in courts and legislatures—it’s also waged in our everyday language. Insults and slurs function to police behavior, urging conformity to the desired characteristics of a particular group, often reinforcing traditional gender roles and the notion that male traits are the ideal standard. It’s no coincidence that many of the politicians and public figures who advocate for the overturning of Roe v. Wade or support Project 2025 are also those who frequently use gendered insults to belittle and silence women. These slurs, often targeted at women in power, serve to reinforce the very stereotypes that these policies seek to codify into law. The use of terms like “nasty woman,” “bimbo,” or “cat lady” in political discourse isn't just casual misogyny—it's a strategic tool used by those promoting these agendas to discredit women.

The way we address professionals also contributes to this systemic bias. Research has shown that male professionals, including scientists and professors, are far more likely to be referred to by their last names, a practice that enhances their status and authority. In contrast, women in the same roles are often addressed by their first names, subtly undermining their professional standing. This linguistic bias isn’t trivial—it reinforces the perception that men are the default authority figures while women are seen as less authoritative or competent. A study analyzing comments on the “Rate My Professor” website found that students are much more likely to refer to male professors by their surnames, especially in fields like computer science and economics, where gender disparities are already pronounced.

Gender bias in academia: Male professors are far more likely to be referred to by their last names, reinforcing the perception of men as the default authority figures. This chart from a ‘Rate My Professor’ analysis shows the disparity across various academic fields.

This pattern extends beyond academia, affecting women in politics, sports, and other fields. While male politicians like Trump, Biden, and Obama are frequently referred to by their last names, female politicians like Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton are often called by their first names. Similarly, male athletes like Federer and Djokovic are typically recognized by their surnames, whereas female athletes such as Serena Williams and Billie Jean King are more commonly addressed by their first names.

Remnants of the idea that male is the default or ideal still linger in many aspects of language and culture, especially insults. In her 1998 study, Deborah James found that insults toward women often imply unladylike sexual behavior or liken them to animals (e.g., whore, slut, skank, bitch, dog, cow). On the other hand, insults aimed at men frequently reference women or feminized men (e.g., pussy, sissy, wimp), and invectives involving male genitals (e.g., dick, prick, bonehead) are usually much less demeaning, often implying rudeness or idiocy rather than a fundamental insult, than those involving their female counterparts (like the c-word or tw*t).

However, the tide is turning. With the rise of internet culture and female artists topping the charts, women are flipping these insults on their heads, reclaiming them and transforming them into movements of empowerment.

Stay tuned to read the next installment of The Ties That Bind to find out how women are using gendered insults and backhanded compliments to their advantage.

Wandering Uterus: “Found my way out of society’s misconceptions!”

If you’re interested in going deeper into the topics discussed in this article, feel free to explore my sources below or leave a comment.

The Ties That Bind

PART I: We’re Not Like Other Girls…We’re Worse

How Nasty Women, Brat Girls, Cat Ladies, and Ice Queens are Reclaiming Gendered Insults and Backhanded Compliments as Viral Movements of Empowerment.

Let’s Talk Sex.

Watch out! This article includes words like vagina!