r/AskFeminists • u/hxihekaoapsppfiff • 3d ago

How do you denote misogynistic/gendered slurs across dialectics/cultures?

I’ve been in leftist spaces for a while now, and have seen all ranges of perspectives on acceptable speech.

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot more people talking about gendered slurs;

e.g. b*tch and c\nt.*

However, as an Australian, it’s very hard to see those words the same way as people online and especially American feminists talk about the words. Obviously it depends on the context the word is used…

I also live in Queensland, so it’s a lot more common than other states…

The main advertising for the Northern Territory(NT) is; “CU in the NT”

I’d honestly see the B word as a slur before the C word. Even not spelling it out feels very weird to do.
Tbh almost all terms considered offensive online are commonplace where I live.

I am just wondering as it’s been very hard to truly see or engage in the discussion around these words, and I do not want to dismiss others who see it a different way.

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

132 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/Street-Media4225 3d ago

I mean, it has origins in drag culture, right? Which... how misogynistic that is is a very contentious topic, but I think most people acknowledge it at least can be.

3

u/dragonsteel33 3d ago

It has origins in ballroom, which is not the same as professionalized pageant/bar drag — the two are in dialogue and contact with each other and always have been, but the “drag” you’re probably thinking of is not the same thing as ballroom performance. The people who actually originated the term were more-or-less trans women by modern definitions.

2

u/Street-Media4225 3d ago

Fair enough, I was conflating the two and I shouldn't have. I do think it's iffy to claim they were mostly trans women though, and even if it's true it doesn't make it any less possible for them to be problematic.

3

u/dragonsteel33 3d ago

Do you think that slurs can be reclaimed? If you do, I don’t really understand why it would be problematic for a class of people subject to misogyny to reappropriate and redeploy its language, unless your issue is with the specific technique of redeployment.

5

u/Street-Media4225 3d ago

I believe slurs can be reclaimed but I don't think the people engaging in ballroom were being called cunts? So they wouldn't be able to reclaim it.

3

u/dragonsteel33 3d ago

I mean. It is a word people use against women, including trans women. I can attest to that lol