Why is there still so much taboo around the word *unt? Perhaps culturally we still think of it as a curse word, an insult to all women, and a vulgar obscenity. But consider how much a woman’s body has often been deemed obscene historically. Why must an insult remain one? If we’re not ready to use the C-word, can we at least consider the context in which the word is used before we cower and apologize for it?
The networks are not ready to embrace the C-word—even when it’s used in context; they apparently can’t tell the difference. Jane Fonda was asked by Today Show host Meredith Vieira about her involvement with The Vagina Monologues, an award-winning play by Eve Ensler, which celebrates women’s bodies. Fonda responded: “It wasn’t that I wasn’t a big fan of the play. I hadn’t seen the play. I live in Georgia, okay, I was asked to do a monologue called ‘The Cunt’ and I said, ‘I don’t think so. I’ve got enough problems.’” NBC was quick to apologize to the world, claiming that it was a “slip!” Fonda did not use the word in a hostile or insulting way; she simply referred to the name of the monologue.
Given the popularity of The Vagina Monologues this will pass. What worries me is that Americans are still terribly uncomfortable with their bodies—especially women’s bodies.
What is it about our cultural discomfort with the female body that the language we use to describe it becomes degraded? Women’s body parts are deemed disgusting (and routinely slashed, beaten, murdered, and cut up in television and film), and to prove toughness or masculinity (men and women alike), we use terms from the female body to insult someone: If you can’t compete, you’re a “pussy.” If you get bossed around by your wife, girlfriend, or partner, you’re “pussy-whipped.”
And if you’re a powerful woman in the public eye, watch out. The issues you espouse as well as your career experience, education, and know-how will all be tossed to the side. Don’t think you’re going to get away with anything or be too powerful; we don’t like bitches. At a campaign event in South Carolina, a female McCain backer asked the senator, “How do we beat the bitch?” to which he responded, “That’s an excellent question.” It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to handle it with grace and rise above this woman’s idiocy, but he failed. Chris Matthews claimed that Hillary Clinton’s career as a senator was tied to the fact that Bill had cheated: “The reason she’s a U.S. senator, the reason she’s a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around.” Only after public outcry from groups like the National Organization for Women, Feminist Majority, and the National Women’s Political Caucus did he finally apologize. David Shuster also lashed out at the Clintons, claiming they were pimping out Chelsea. (Of course Bush’s children Barbara and Jenna campaigned for him years earlier, which some commentators have rightfully jumped in to argue.) A conservative group against Hillary Clinton came out with a non-clever campaign of calling her the C-word. Meanwhile in malls across the country, you can buy a t-shirt by this conservative group who further degrades Hillary—and all women. Despite who we ultimately choose to vote or work for, the rules for powerful women continue to be different.
