I once knew a girl in high school who cried whenever someone called her a bitch. I knew this other girl who was proud when someone called her a bitch. It made me wonder how that word got such contrasting connotations. How did society manage to make one word mean so many different things?
             It is common for people to be greeted with the phrase, "what up bitch." No one seems to get offended by that, it has become such a common greeting. To some women, being called a bitch is humiliating and degrading, but to other it is a word that the are proud to be, something that they own. I think this has a lot to do with the empowerment of women. Women have been degraded and held back for so long, and at one time being called a bitch was nothing but a negative thing. Now, it is a word that some women like to own, kind of a "if you're going to call me that, I am going to make it what I want it," type of word. This can be both negative and positive.
             On the negative side, bitch just isn't a complimentary word. It is a term used to refer to a female dog. When you think about it, who really wants to be called that? How flattering is being called a female dog? I can understand why women get upset, but these days, it has become such a common word it is hard to remember what is so bad about it. Men call each other bitches to refer to there feminine, more sissy side. It is generally a negative word, that women and in some cases, men, don't like to be called.
             The women who take it positively take the word bitch to mean attitude, self confidence, and straightforwardness. It is a word that they carry proudly, and not only do they love the fact that other people call them that, but they call themselves that. There is also a certain playfulness that "bitch" takes on. Friends often call each other bitches in just a playful and meaningless way. It can be used in so many ways and have so many di...