What’s the worst thing that you can call a woman?...

What’s the worst thing that you can call a woman? Don’t hold back, now. You’re probably thinking of words like slut, whore, bitch, cunt (I told you not to hold back!), skank. Okay, now, what are the worst things you can call a guy? Fag, girl, bitch, pussy. I’ve even heard the term “mangina”. Notice anything? The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult. Now tell me that’s not royally fucked up.

Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti (via a-blog-called-everything)

Although I understand what this person is trying to say, it’s not necessarily so simple. Men aren’t women, and shouldn’t act like them. It is not that being a woman is insulting in itself, it is when men act like women that it becomes insulting. This is because men are held to a certain standard, just as women are. The words that this person used, including “fag, girl, bitch, pussy” are the “older, more mature” version of what is essentially calling somebody a “scaredy-cat”. Really, it means to be scared. Pussy is not literally saying that somebody is a vagina, just as “nigga” isn’t calling somebody an ignorant slave. Terms change. I agree that words hurt, but I do believe that language is something that grows and morphs, and new meanings replace old ones. The worst thing you can call a girl isn’t calling them a girl, and the same applies to guys. If somebody is being a fucking idiot, I’ll call them a fucking idiot. I realize that this is an opinion though, and respect that. But I don’t think that anybody thinks that calling somebody a girl is the worst insult. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it is at all.

(via thebloggery)

173 notes - 10 February 2012

173 notes
reblogged from thebloggery
originally posted by a-blog-called-everything