Straight lady to straight male: Teasing, meant to create humbleness however to not humiliate.
Straight male to any lady: “I’m most actually a misogynist.”
Any lady to any lady: [underexplored, more data needed]
This brings us to an interplay this week between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), with whom Greene is perpetually vying for the title of most loudmouthed feminine Republican in Congress. On Wednesday, as reported by the Daily Beast, the 2 lawmakers obtained into an argument on the Home flooring over, basically, who obtained to attempt to impeach President Biden first. The skirmish culminated with Greene calling Boebert a “little b—-.” Later that night Greene appeared to confirm the account to the news outlet Semafor, telling a reporter that Boebert “had genuinely been a nasty little b—- to me.”
I’ve now been fascinated about this phrasing for 36 hours. Let’s discover.
“B—-,” sans “little,” is within the widespread vernacular of woman-to-woman communication. Drunkenly, convivially, it may be a time period of endearment (Tequila Tuesday, b—-es!), however within the context of feuding with a fellow feminine colleague on the ground of the Home of Representatives, it’s most likely not meant convivially. “B—-,” utilized by a lady a few lady, has a very reducing high quality to it. The implication is: I, as a lady, can choose when different girls are dangerous representations of the gender, and this b—- proper right here is certainly that.
Calling a co-worker “b—-” invokes a hold-my-earrings, Lee Press On Nails vibe. Teresa Giudice is about to point out up and throw a desk. It’s not a intellectual insult, however it’s universally understood.
The “little” is the place it will get fascinating. Ladies don’t usually name each other “little b—-” in an insulting manner for apparent causes. “Little” as a descriptor will not be the societally induced pejorative for girls that it’s for males. No person cares if girls are little; the truth is, daintiness is prized.
For Greene to name Boebert a “little” b—-, different elements have to be thought-about. (1) The CrossFit of all of it. Greene is a former fitness center proprietor, and one imagines that after you get deep into that kind of health, you would possibly begin sizing individuals up by way of what number of occasions they may flip a giant tire.
(2) The testosterone-y MAGA of all of it. Boebert could be recognized for packing a Glock, however Greene needs to make it clear that she is the mightier, more durable lawmaker. Boebert is diminutive; Greene might crush her together with her left deltoid.
(3) The seniority of all of it. Sure, the 2 entered Congress the identical 12 months, however Marjorie “Area Laser” Taylor Greene was the unique priestess of nonsense, and she or he doesn’t need Boebert bogarting her crown.
This seems to be an addendum, not a part of the unique insult. We could be tempted to dismiss it, then, besides that “nasty” has taken on explicit provenance in recent times, because of Donald Trump flinging the phrase at a 2016 presidential debate. From that time on, “nasty” turned a code for “liberal” — it was reclaimed by the pink pussyhat crowd — and I don’t assume we will totally dismiss the concept Greene was using the final word burn, from one conservative lady to a different, and evaluating Boebert to Hillary Clinton.
Please stand by for the subsequent episode of “Actual Congresswomen of the USA of America,” the place we discover out whether or not Greene and Boebert proceed feuding — or whether or not they’ll proceed to unlock new realms of feminine frenemy-ship with a proposal of conciliation: “Hug it out, nasty little b—-.”
