# Bitches or Females: Which do you least like to be called **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765 "2012-09-25T11:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/1 "2012-09-25T11:57:53Z")
Could it be that someone who always refers women as Females be more misogynistic than someone who just calls them bitches. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/2 "2012-09-25T12:19:18Z")
Bitch is never acceptable; female is acceptable in government forms and similar situations, but not as a form of address. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/3 "2012-09-25T12:40:23Z")
This has to be the dumbest poll we’ve ever had . . . and not entirely grammatical. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/4 "2012-09-25T12:53:40Z")
I know a guy who refers to a member of the opposite sex (once she is about 18 or so) as a “wuh-man”. There’s something about the way he says the word “woman” that makes me see red. He does have issues with women to start with. I guess it’s better than girl/slut/bitch/female, but…“wuh-man” drives me nuts! (once in a great while he uses the word “gal”, that’s OK!). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/5 "2012-09-25T12:57:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This has to be the dumbest poll we’ve ever had . . . and not entirely grammatical. You must have missed [this one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=571552&highlight=popcorn) ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/6 "2012-09-25T13:05:44Z")
The last time somebody called me a bitch I said, “If you think this is bitch you have a lot to learn and I think I’m the one who needs to teach you”. I can’t bitch if they call me a female. So I’d rather be called a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/7 "2012-09-25T13:17:55Z")
Generally “female” is an adjective. So, from a purely semantic point of view, being called a female pisses me off because there’s no noun. “A female _what_?” I might ask. My dog is a female. Plants can be female. Hell, bits of plumbing can be female. To which type of female are you referring? It’s dehumanizing and that’s what’s degrading about it. Now, being called a bitch on the other hand, just sort of makes me laugh. In general, when a man calls me a bitch, I feel like I’ve won. He’s feeling so insecure that he has to tear me down and use some ugly word to try to put me in my proper place, so he whips that one out. And that makes me think he has just handed his power over to me on a platter. I typically respond with “Oh, why thank you. Now that you’re clear on that, we’ll get along a lot better.” There is also heartless bitches international, who define bitch as “Being In Total Control of Herself.” When a man stands up for himself and refuses to take any crap, he’s applauded as a strong person, possibly even a leader. When a woman stands up for herself and refuses to take any crap, and maybe even goes so far as to call someone else out on their bullshit, she’s just a bitch. So call me a bitch, then, if that’s the only way you can feel like you’re swingin’ meat. But call me a female and I’ll have to work really hard to stifle the urge to punch you right in the throat. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/8 "2012-09-25T13:19:47Z")
What the hell is this. It’s like, what’s worse to be called: a fucking idiot or a goddamned moron? Well, gee, both are pretty unpleasant, and I’d prefer to go through my day without hearing either one. I will say, though, that “bitch” tends to come from people who are upfront with their anger towards women, and “female” tends to come from people (not refering to those in law enforcement or the military, etc. who use “female” and “male” equally) who are unconscious of or in denial about their anger. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/9 "2012-09-25T13:25:03Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You must have missed [this one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=571552&highlight=popcorn) There are several **PSXer** posts from 2010 or so that deserve to be enshrined in some kind of Hall of Fame. That poll was a work of art. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/10 "2012-09-25T14:42:50Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I know a guy who refers to a member of the opposite sex (once she is about 18 or so) as a “wuh-man”. There’s something about the way he says the word “woman” that makes me see red. He does have issues with women to start with. I guess it’s better than girl/slut/bitch/female, but…“wuh-man” drives me nuts! (once in a great while he uses the word “gal”, that’s OK!). I somehow picked up that mispronunciation of “woman” when I was a kid; it took me years to retrain myself to say it right. And yes, I did generally refer to women as “females” at that time, since at least I pronounced that right; and men as males for that matter, for symmetry. I’ve never called anyone a bitch though; not even female dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/11 "2012-09-25T15:15:25Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Generally “female” is an adjective. So, from a purely semantic point of view, being called a female pisses me off because there’s no noun. “A female _what_?” I might ask. My dog is a female. Plants can be female. Hell, bits of plumbing can be female. To which type of female are you referring? It’s dehumanizing and that’s what’s degrading about it. Here’s what the OED has to say: Female A. n. 1. A person of the sex that can bear offspring; a woman or a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/12 "2012-09-25T15:16:12Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I know a guy who refers to a member of the opposite sex (once she is about 18 or so) as a “wuh-man”. There’s something about the way he says the word “woman” that makes me see red. You mean like [this?](http://www.kingsfordmusic.org/images/muppet_drummer_animal.gif) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/13 "2012-09-25T15:27:30Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’ve never called anyone a bitch though; not even female dogs. My gf and I have 3 spayed female dogs.We jokingly and lovingly refer to them as “the bitches”. As you might imagine, every so often someone misunderstands what one of us has said. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/14 "2012-09-25T16:00:52Z")
I wish there was a “Both” option - I hate both, but for different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/15 "2012-09-25T17:47:01Z")
I must have missed the email about “female” being offensive. Why would it be? When I use it, I’m attempting to leave out any connotations other than the baseline biological. Of course that’s not really possible but I thought it would be apparent from the use of that particular term that I was referencing that. Would “female person” work better? Woman, lady, girl, and any of the other tend to be imbued with things like age, status, role, assumptions or associations about sexuality or reproduction. Not that there’s anything wrong with identifying a person in that manner but sometimes you want to rather explicitly NOT do so. So now “female” has connotative baggage? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/16 "2012-09-25T17:54:41Z")
I would object to being called either. **Knead** A Dude ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/17 "2012-09-25T18:08:57Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I must have missed the email about “female” being offensive. > > Why would it be? > > When I use it, I’m attempting to leave out any connotations other than the baseline biological. Of course that’s not really possible but I thought it would be apparent from the use of that particular term that I was referencing that. > > Would “female person” work better? > Woman, lady, girl, and any of the other tend to be imbued with things like age, status, role, assumptions or associations about sexuality or reproduction. Not that there’s anything wrong with identifying a person in that manner but sometimes you want to rather explicitly NOT do so. > So now “female” has connotative baggage? I explained in my previous post why “female” can be taken as offensive. It’s dehumanizing. It reduces a person down to a description of the body parts that signal gender. When someone calls me a female, that says to me that the person doesn’t see me as a whole, real person with feelings. It says to me that person sees me as a vagina + breasts package, merely a hole suitable for sticking his manparts into. Unless it’s a cop, and that just signals to me that cops are trying to dehumanize everyone because it takes a lot of balls to bust a person you see as a real, whole person with feelings, but it’s easy to jackboot a generic female or a generic male. “Female” and “male” to me, strip away all unique identifiers that give someone a relatable, personable identity and reduces them to a description of their gender. This is why many of my gay friends don’t like to be referred to as “gays.” “Oh, I went out with my gay last night.” My friends would ask, “Your gay _what_?” So yes, female person might work better to at least acknowledge that you see people as human beings with feelings and not just as a collection of generic gender-specific body parts. Just as “gay person” works a little better to identify the type of person I’m hanging out with, in the event that the qualifier “gay” is even relevant or necessary to the conversation at all. I see calling black people “blacks” as equally dehumanizing without the qualifiers. I don’t have any problems with woman or lady, as those seem to be accurate to me, in general, and not diminutive or diminishing like girl or chick. Note: I don’t find girl or chick nearly as offensive as female. But I also don’t go around referring to men as boys (diminishing and disrespectful). Or males (dehumanizing). Not all of us feel this way and I’m being a bit of a pedantic, semantic asshole about it. Most of the time, I’m not going to go all whackjob in someone’s face for using the terms I don’t like, but in the back of my mind, I will hear “female” or “bitch” and think, “Ah. Woman hater. Duly noted.” Use of those words tells me a lot about the speaker, such as what **gallows fodder** said. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/18 "2012-09-25T20:27:16Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I must have missed the email about “female” being offensive. > > Why would it be? The word itself is not offensive. But I don’t think its coincidental that people who routinely refer to women as “females” usually have plenty of patronizing things to say about women and things associated with women. Trust me when I say this is not confirmation bias, either. You don’t have to pepper your speech with “females” to be a misogynistic bastard with Mommy issues, but if you reach for that word more than a few times in a single conversation, I’m gonna give you the side eye and be a little extra wary of you. I think animals when I hear the word “females”. I don’t think of people. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/19 "2012-09-25T20:43:05Z")
Female doesn’t offend me at all. Bitch probably would, but it’d depend on the context and who was saying it. I do love smiley faces … ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765/20 "2012-09-25T21:12:23Z")
I actually am quite a nasty bitch hag, so that doesn’t bother me that much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bitches-or-females-which-do-you-least-like-to-be-called/635765.md?page=2)