You’ve probably heard the term “bad bitch” before. It’s supposed to be an empowering way to describe a woman succeeding in life. She’s independent, she’s strong and she’s bringing her A-game to life in every way, shape and form. She also gives zero f*cks about the opinions people have about her. It’s great that we want to take something deemed negative and turn it into something positive and empowering, but any real grown woman killing it in life knows that this is a pretty juvenile and classless way of defining a woman who has her act together. It’s one thing for Nicki Minaj or Rihanna to hum this term in a song lyric, but it’s quite another when we use it as a day to day term to describe our successes. It’s high time we dropped this term from our vocabulary and here’s why:
- It reinforces sexist stereotypes. We’ve spent the last several decades putting women on the map as having the rights equal to men while heralding our rise in successes, only to call ourselves “bad bitches”? Is this for real? We don’t see men going around calling themselves “awful jerks” because it just sounds stupid. Stop sounding stupid.
- It’s become an excuse for bad attitudes. Just because you’ve labelled yourself a bad bitch doesn’t mean you can go around treating people you encounter like crap. No matter how well you’re doing, it’s never okay to treat people as if they’re beneath you in any way. You can be fierce while still being a decent person.
- It perpetuates comparison among females. When you label yourself a bad bitch, chances are you also find the need to undermine other women by calling them “basic bitches”, which actually makes you just a regular old bitch, not a bad one.
- It’s the opposite of confidence. Nothing is sexier than a confident woman, but what we fail to realize is that confidence is silent. It isn’t defined by a hashtag or represented by a certain type of outfit. Confidence is in the way a woman carries herself in life, not in how loudly she can announce her accomplishments.
- It discredits truly inspiring women. There’s a reason Ronda Rousey describes herself as the opposite of a “do-nothing bitch,” and it’s because the term “bitch” has always been used in negative context. Rousey is an example of a badass, unstoppable female with a fearless attitude about the way she carries herself; and she does it without calling herself a bad bitch.
- It’s immature. When a woman is truly comfortable in her own skin, she doesn’t need to labels or grand announcements. It might have been cool in high school to jokingly define yourself based on a song lyric, but when you’re truly a grown ass woman, you no longer feel the need. A genuine “bad bitch” doesn’t need to call herself one.
- It’s a poor choice of words. We get it. We want to be able to humble ourselves by endearing a term that has always been controversial, but there are better ways than to call attention to disheartening phrases. You’re a strong, independent woman, not a bitch. So carry yourself that way and don’t feel the need to call it anything. Just be you.