Tipsheet

The Bitchy Behar Double-Standard

Mary Katharine Ham
Mary Katharine Ham  |  November 16, 2007 3:26 PM
The rules about calling people "bitch" are extremely intricate and complex, depending on who's addressing whom. Let Joy explain it all to you.

Mind-blowingly dumb.

For the record, I don't think the use of the word "bitch" was appropriate in either case. But I have not the broad, cerebral understanding of the social dynamics and longtime gender tensions that contribute to the perception of the word "bitch" as applied to different people, as Joy has.