Definition of Bitch

While in one of my communication classes for the semester, we debated the meaning of bitch. Was it still offensive to the girls in the room? How was it used in context? When was it ok for people to call someone a bitch? It got me thinking about how I think of the term bitch. A few years ago, it would have been considered extremely taboo. Bitch was for female dog breeders and that was it. Besides that, it was used negatively by rappers or people trying to offend. However, what I've found is that there is now three sections of a definition of bitch and they all range in seriousness.

1) "We're all bitches." "We're all whores." *insert random badass word here*
     We all know the nights. We're kidding with our girlfriends. Maybe some drinks have been involved. We kid about everyone being a bitch. It has a childlike tone. Everyone knows that no one is serious. It's all just shits and giggles.

2) "Oh you're such a bitch, but we still love you."
   This is the girl that's a hardass, but she's got meaning behind it. On the surface, she may act bitchlike and be a bit gruff on the seams, but inside, she just really cares for her friends. And it comes across. She can have a serious tone, but she can also joke about being a bitch. She accepts her role as someone that combines a badass attitude with sentiment and sweetness. She gets it.

3) "You're a bitch."
   And then there are some girls that truly are bitches. They seem heartless. They have no reason to be outright mean to people. They may flirt with their "friend's" boyfriends or flirt with the guy at the bar that you've already called dibs on. They don't seem to understand that a girl code exists in this world. This is where bitch gets its offensive nature.

Bitch does not always have to be considered mean. It's not always derogatory. It gets a bad rap from being misunderstood. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of a discussion of "how do you mean that" to clear the air. We just need to help it along and as girls, realize that sometimes clarification is needed.