As some of you ladies know the word "Bitch" can be used in numerous ways. Originally "Bitch" was seen as a degrading word. Recently, bitch can be used in endearing ways. For example, when I'm having girl talk with my girlfriends. I find myself using "Bitch" when I'm excited, angry, surprised, or afraid. Changing my tone to a friendlier one when I say "Biiiitchhh" means stop playing or are you serious!! How many of you can relate?
For example, Issa Rae's character on the hit show "Insecure" on HBO frequently uses the word "Bitch" as a form of endearment. For instance, earlier today I was speaking to one of my closest friends not gonna say her name, but she will know who she is lol. Anyways where was I... oh yes! This friend was telling me about one of the arguments she had with her boyfriend. Her man was at her house on IG dm'ing another girl. She slapped him so hard his glasses broke lol. I was so surprised the first thing that came out my mouth was "BITCHHH!" It was a way to express how shocked I was that my friend had that much strength to slap him and break his glasses. In a weird way, the word bitch shows the authenticity in black female friendships, because let's be honest you wouldn't call any random woman bitch or say it so freely unless she's your closest friend right!? LOL
In black female friendships the word "Bitch" can be used in positive ways as I've previously mentioned, but in some of my other experiences especially with black men, the word "Bitch" can hold a derogatory meaning. Don't get me wrong I love my community which includes both black men and women. However, as a black woman in NYC, I've noticed that within the inner spaces of some black male friendships the word "Bitch" is used in a degrading or oppressive way. Putting the word bad in front of "Bitch" still feels pretty degrading to me, because when I hear a man calling a woman a "Bitch" it's either during an argument or when they gossip with their friends about a woman. Some guys feel it's okay to say it because we women say it to each other. But the word "Bitch" has different connotations and can carry different meanings in the realm of black male and female friendships. I question if most of these men understand how and why women use the word "Bitch
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