To conclude... (For now)...

To begin, I do not want to say good- bye; more like see you later.  This project is done considering, I am about to graduate, but the analysis and critical thinking approach has just begun.  The word "bitch" hasn't gone anywhere in the past hundreds of years, and is only evolving to become more integrated into our culture and society.  The repercussions of the use of this word have only grown in depth, considering society interprets its contexts in so many different ways.  Although I do not have straightforward answers to the questions I posed at the beginning of this blog, I feel that not being able to answer some of these questions in the most important or challenging aspect about the word itself.

The word bitch is connected to a long history of demoralizing and degrading women.  Over the years the term has also began to be used toward men.  Men find this extremely degrading and confrontational when they are insulted with the word, because they are then being derogatorily equated to a woman.  Not just any woman; they are being equated to a "bitchy" woman, in which the word is transformed against them, with their very own perceptions and meanings of what a "bitch" is.  The Urban Dictionary (urbandictionary.com) is a user generated dictionary, where users are allowed to form their meaning of words, including slang terms that typically wouldn't be found in a standard dictionary.  The Urban Dictionary has hundreds of definitions for the word bitch, which can easily show the multiple roles this word plays or means within various different settings and contexts.  One user defined the word on urbandictionary.com as,

"Was once referred to a female dog, but now is used in this context.  

A woman that:

A) Will have sex with everybody, but you.
B) Won't do (what you in your feeble mind) want her to.
C) You work for, that tells you what to do, and you don't like it.
D) A successful woman.
E) A down right drama queen that makes yours, and everyones lives around her misrable.
F) A control freak that always thinks she is right, and constantly corrects everyone." (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bitch&page=2)

So the confrontation when the word bitch is being directed at a man shifts, because these are typically the form the definition takes on.  Then when it used toward a man, it not only emasculates by equating him to a woman, but also the term itself implies nothing good.  Some may argue "D. A successful woman" is good, but when the term "bitch" replaces that character trait, it then still becomes degrading because accomplishments are not directly being recognized.

Because of the long history of degradation connected to the term "bitch", it becomes difficult to fully accept the term being used loosely and taking on new meanings in a positive light.  Some people may not mind being called a bitch, if it supposedly takes on a positive connotation, and I am not phased a whole lot by the term anymore because of its consistent use throughout our American culture; however, it does phase me if it's directed toward me.  Personally I feel that this word comes with its consequences, and culminates repercussions our society internalizes when relating this word to gender. Whether it is being used towards a woman or man, the meanings we internalize associated with the word bitch still finds ways to recycle its purpose back to degradation and demoralization of human beings.  Because this word's purpose shifts meanings depending upon the context in which it is used, people are able to adapt their own meanings of this word based on their experiences.  With that being said, there are a lot of areas where this word can infringe or hurt others, especially when its context is misinterpreted.

As I mentioned earlier, the word has become common use within our culture.  The most important problem with this that is concerning, is how our future generations will internalize this word, and how their interpreted meaning of the word bitch will impact the way in which they view or even respect women.  Can this word continue being used so loosely without our society and culture suffering consequences in the ways they view women as equals?  If this word continues to expand in meaning, and society witnesses a "bitch" is associated with being submissive to a male ( or the male dominated culture), can women move forward together?  Or will this word continue to imply women being inferior to men?  Will our society grow to accept strong independent women, without labeling them as bitches?  For me I would much rather be called a strong, independent, smart, attractive, successful, etc. woman, than a strong, independent, smart, attractive, successful, etc. bitch any day.  I want no association with the term.  Personally, being called a woman, a lady, or even a chick ( which I also dislike to some extent) is a much better suited description or compliment, that I would take over being called a "bad bitch".  I can handle the other terms, but a bitch to me will always be a degrading and demoralizing term that makes women seem inferior.  We have to move above this ladies!  "Bitch" is connected to a long past discriminatory towards women, and if we continue using the word so loosely, future generations will only be able to view women in such a way.  It is nice to change bad things and make them new, but I wouldn't go as far as to saying the old meanings of the word have ever disappeared.

Hello!

Hello Everyone!  I am completing this project for a capstone  in my Media Literacy Certification at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.  Throughout this project, I will be analyzing the way the word "bitch" is used  in a number of various hip hop songs.  Hip hop music has primarily perpetuated heterosexism since its origins, and has only evolved into suggesting stronger motives.  Although African American women still grow with success within the hip-hop industry and mainframe, the gender roles they take on is either in forms of empowerment or submissiveness.  With that being said, the word "bitch" has integrated itself into the Hip Hop music world, and has evolved over time into more complex definitions to understand, internalize, and become more difficult to read the meaning or purpose of the word's usage in each song.

Simply put, when the word "Bitch" entered the Hip Hop world, it was used mainly to downgrade women, and make them more inferior to men.  It was utilized in a derogatory way, towards women that upheld bad reputations, or committed actions that were considered "un-lady like".  Over time the word has evolved into taking on many more meanings.  The word is used interchangeably with men and women  now.  With women, it can sometimes take on it more derogatory origins; however, more hip hop artists are attempting to utilize the word to suggest empowerment.  This can be controversial because, fans and audiences may choose to interpret the song and the way the word is used based on their own perceptions, and not the intentions of the artist.

Many problems are associated with this word "bitch", yet we are seeing it being used more and more whether it is in our daily lives or in the media.  When the word "bitch" originated it was simply used  to describe female dogs.  Over a hundred years ago, the word had evolved into being directed towards women in negative ways.  The Oxford Online Dictionary defines Bitch as,
bitch |bi ch |noun1 a female dog, wolf, fox, or otter.2 informal derogatory a woman whom one dislikes or considers to bemalicious or unpleasant.• [in sing. ] informal a thing or situation that is unpleasant or difficultto deal with : the stove is a bitch to fix.verb [ intrans. ] informalexpress displeasure; grumble : they bitch about everything | [as n. ] (bitching) we're tired of your bitching.ORIGIN Old English bicce, of Germanic origin 

With that being said, is it okay for this term to take on so many meanings and be used in so many ways without causing repercussions for our future society?  When it is used toward men, it is also used in a derogatory way, that is more often rejected and not accepted by society, in comparison to its use towards women.  Why is this so?  I've been coming across, that in today's society the acceptability of the word "bitch" is depending more and more on the context in which it is being used.  However, if definitions and contexts are all constructed depending upon a person's perception, this leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation.

This link is a mini-documentary conducted by Chantel van Milligen titled "Bitch: A mini-documentary on the Gender Slur".  She asks many people their perceptions of the word, and also about when and when it is not okay to use the term.  I found this very interesting, and she did a great job.  I am including this link in my project, because her research speaks profoundly to the subject of my project.
Bitch: A mini-documentary

Throughout this project, I will be analyzing three different songs, and the way the word bitch is used within them.  With that being said, I will discuss implied meanings, and what bloggers, comment contributors, and fans say about the song, as well as my own interpretation or perception of the song.  I will be looking at how others internalize its lyrics, and discussing my reactions.  In addition to taking a more critical approach to conveying how bitch is being utilized.

Is it irony or problematic that a word's meaning has shifted from derogatory to imply empowerment?  

If so, can the word "bitch" ever lose its degrading past?  

How is the term supposed to take on different meanings and become an accepted part of the American culture to use regularly, when its use in the past has been solely connected to downgrading people?