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4 - The B Word

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2024

Karen Stollznow
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
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Summary

For some, bitch is a four-letter word. Cast into the same category as expletives like fuck and shit, bitch has been branded profane, obscene, and indecent. As a tabooed word, it has often been censored or avoided altogether by the mainstream media, to protect tender eyes and ears. In its written form, bitch been expurgated from books and newspapers. In the past, bitch was considered to be defamatory, a dangerous smear on a woman’s character, and leveling the slur at an innocent party could land the offender in court. In its spoken form, bitch has been bleeped in songs and muted in movies, while some radio stations and television networks have been fined for using it. Thanks to the many pioneers pushing the word’s use, bitch has undergone a dramatic “unbleeping” over time. As taboos changed, the word started to be used more openly. Nowadays, bitch is everywhere. This chapter looks at the many bans on bitch and controversies surrounding the word, both past and present.

Type
Chapter
Information
Bitch
The Journey of a Word
, pp. 98 - 130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • The B Word
  • Karen Stollznow, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Bitch
  • Online publication: 13 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009392358.005
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • The B Word
  • Karen Stollznow, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Bitch
  • Online publication: 13 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009392358.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The B Word
  • Karen Stollznow, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Bitch
  • Online publication: 13 June 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009392358.005
Available formats
×