Floozies, whores, and bitches…
When I say the word “bitch,” what do you think of, a female dog or a nasty woman? My guess is the nasty woman. The English language is full of misogyny, most notably in words like bitch that have been pejorated, or redefined from a neutral meaning to a negative one. If you want to insult a man, you’ve got a handful of terms. But if you want to insult a woman, you’ve got options. Lots of options, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
For centuries, promiscuous women have been called everything from whores, floozies, nymphomaniacs, and trollops to coquettes, sexpots, strumpets, and Jezebels. More recently, though, English speakers have added an impressive number of formerly neutral words to that list. Vamp, formerly a shortened version of vampire, is now a term for a promiscuous woman. A slut used to be an impudent girl. But now? A promiscuous woman. Likewise, a tramp (formerly a foot traveler) is a promiscuous woman, a harlot (a young boy) is a promiscuous woman, slattern (to hang loosely) is a promiscuous woman, and a bimbo (a baby) is a promiscuous woman.
But wait! The options don’t stop there. Centuries ago, a hussy was a housewife. Not a housewife who was having an affair with the milkman. Just a housewife. But today? A hussy is a “lewd or brazen woman.” What would you call a lewd or brazen man? A jerk? That’s a unisex insult. What about jackass? Again, unisex.
It used to be that a wench was a young girl or woman, but one would be ill advised to call a female friend a wench today, as it now refers to a “lewd or promiscuous woman.”
English speakers love to shorten words, as evidenced by all of our contractions: it’s, they’re, hasn’t, won’t, and so on. You may be surprised to know that the word “tart” used to be a contraction of the word “sweetheart.” But please don’t call your lovely daughter or granddaughter or wife a tart. The word now refers to a promiscuous woman.
Years ago, a mistress was a “woman who has power, authority, or ownership.” But that was in the fourteenth century. Fast-forward to today, and the woman who used to have power, authority, or ownership now just has a married boyfriend.
Aside from referring to little mole-like creatures, the word shrew used to mean “an evil or scolding person.” To be a shrew now, you have to be a woman. And not just any woman. An “ill-tempered scolding woman.”
Spinsters used to be women who spun yarn, but now they’re unmarried women who wish they were married.
Most pejorated words are common nouns, but don’t underestimate the English speaker’s ability to disparage women. The proper noun Karen peaked in popularity as a girl’s name in the mid-1950s, but no self-respecting child is going to want to be named Karen today, as the name has come to refer to a privileged and demanding white woman.
Scads of disparaging names are at your service for women. But what about men? What would you call a lewd or brazen man? I have no idea.
Misogyny has likely been around since caveman days and will undoubtedly last as long as the human race. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that the future holds great promise for those inclined to berate women.
I can just imagine a conversation in the year 2122.
Man: You’re nothing but a woman.
Woman: How dare you call me a woman, you, you, you…jerk!