Bitch

That was what he said. Bitch. It was like it was the first time I'd ever heard the word, as the nuances opened up before me. It's weird how connotation works. When a person calls a guy a "bitch" he's verbally emasculating him. A petty guy, crying about his troubles gets, "Don't be such a bitch." This statement is almost the connotative diametric opposite of telling a girl, "Don't be such a bitch." Directed at a woman, it's almost an empowering statement. A woman called a bitch is being put into a dominant role. Traditionally, though not exclusively, this is a masculine point of view, but one almost never means it that way when directing it at a man. When describing a man this way, we are putting him in a submissive role: "That's my bitch, he does all of my grunt work." Again, traditionally a feminine role.

So, the next time a guy calls you a bitch, ladies, maybe on a subconscious level he feels like he's identifying with you. On the other hand, you may just be being a bitch.