A Bad Bitch is A Man's Best Friend

So it looks as if we still haven't made it past the "bad bitch" phase. We evolved from "bitch," to the "baddest bitch," to "bad bitches I'm yah leader."

For some women the term "bitch" should never be used. For others, it's the worse name you can be referred to--if it's coming from a male, or an enemy. But if it's coming from your female friend or your gay, male friend then it is a term of endearment. And then there are those women who refer to themselves as bitches, as a form of empowerment.

Truth is, at some point every woman--no matter how prim and proper--has aspired to be a bad bitch. We have to admit, the term is catchy. It is also engrained in us. But we must also not forget it is degrading.
So what is a bad bitch?

According to Urban Dictionary, the only dictionary that would even take time defining this term, there are a couple of definitions. I'll save you the headache and only share the entires that appear to be submitted by people who have actually been exposed to an education.

1) "A self respected, strong female who has everything together. That consists of body, mind, finances, and swagger. Also, a female who does & gets hers by any means necessary."

2) "A woman who is attempting to reclaim the usage of the word bitch by erasing it's previously understood derogatory connotation and replacing it with a celebration of strength. This re-definition, however, overlooks the historically entrenched and problematic discourse surrounding gender relationships."

3) "Female who knows what she wants and knows exactly how to get it.Female who is always ready for anything physically, emotionally, and also intellectually(one being book smart as well as street smart). One who is classy and all about business. Last, but certainly not least, one who knows how to take care of her man at home and in the streets and remains loyal to him(her man), herself, and the game at which she plays."

Ok, let's have at it. Entry #1, what self-respecting, strong female calls herself a bitch? If she handles her business by any means why not just refer to her as a hustler or an independent woman?

Entry #2 is right in regards to our success in overlooking the true meaning of the term and the damage it  has caused throughout our history. Instead of reclaiming a word that was never ours, we should stop using it. Most importantly we should stop answering to it because it is not who we are, and it is not a representation of who we are striving to be.

I'll get to entry #3 later.

Basically, a bad bitch is a woman who takes care of her responsibilities. Well in that case, just refer to yourself by your name since you are fulfilling your duties as an american citizen. Why should you get a special title for doing your job?

One factor distinguishing a bad bitch from an independent woman is her demand within a group of men. Men rather have a bad bitch than an independent woman. This is not a universal truth, however, it is a truth supported, and highly advertised, in popular culture. As entry #3 says, a bad bitch is "one who knows how to take care of her man at home and in the streets and remains loyal to him."

On the contrary, an independent woman prioritizes her career, education, kids, etc. over men. She comes first, not him. In our society, this is problematic. Although many women have worked hard to reclaim the term bitch in attempts to alter it's meaning, they have yet to succeed because our society has not updated it's agenda. We've had many women's rights movements, multiple waves of feminists, and a satisfying amount of women step into positions of power.  But the fact of the matter remains, women still come second to men. We are still payed less, respected less, and valued less. Except for our body, our body is highly valued.

However, our knowledge of this unequal treatment and our rise against it serves as a threat.

I have read scholarship and have personally been told that a man does not want a woman who does not make him feel needed. Therefore, men rather have a bad, obedient bitch than a strong, equality-seeking woman. And what are bitches? female dogs. What are dogs? Man's best friend? And what are women supposed to be? A man's finest accessory.

My point is, this is still a male-dominated society. This is still a place where you need to be tamed by a male or you're seen as a problem. More women are shifting to becoming independent, which causes distortion in our antique method of doing things. The more women fight to gain power, the harder society fights to regain order. As a solution, we give rise to the bad bitches. A bad bitch is a creation that gives women the impression that they are independent, while subconsciously re-sizing them back for their inferior position below men. Conforming to being a bad bitch allows men to reclaim ownership over women, once again.

Instead of being a bad bitch, just be bad at being a bitch because you never really know whose bitch you are anyway.