Feminists like to cuss too! But some cuss words are misogynist, some are deliberately feminist, and others are in the process of being reclaimed. What's a feminist to do?
This is a brief field guide to cussing the feminist way. User beware - if you piss people off, and say, "But Geek Feminism said I could say that," we'll just laugh at you.
Use proudly
- Douche, douchebag, douchenozzle, etc. - douches are unnecessary tools of the patriarchy, fuck them
- Cockbiter - instead of cocksucker, which makes the act of giving a blow job shameful
Try to avoid
- Any form of fuck that assumes penetration is a bad thing for the receptive partner
- Flippant references to rape - sexual assault survivors are everywhere, and may particularly not appreciate being reminded of that because someone lost badly at a computer game (for example).
Don't use
Unless you're making fun of people who use these words in a sexist way...
- Bitch
- Slut
- Bugger - homophobic
Being reclaimed
Reclaiming is done by people who are in the group who are disparaged by the word. If you aren't a woman, it's best to refrain from using it. If you are a women, wait until women have made progress on reclaiming it.
- Cunt - worth noting that it is being reclaimed as a term to describe one's genitals, not as a description of a person.
Open for discussion
- Motherfucker - gender specific, but based on incest taboo rather than patriarchy?
- Fuck in general - has several meanings and usages, some of which are misogynist and some of which are not
- Dick and friends:
- Associates a specific body part with patriarchy-related badness; body-shaming isn't feminist.
- On the other hand, cis men are in power. Perhaps these words will lose their charge when patriarchy is overthrown.
- On the third hand, some women, and some people who don't identify as men or as women, have penises. Associating penises with negative things is potentially damaging to trans women and trans*femme people, who are socially vulnerable (whereas cis men are not). It also has the potential to reinforce the false equivalence between cis male privilege and the possession of a penis.
Religious meanings
People using these may hurt or affront people with religious beliefs (many of whom are not clearly empowered, although the institution of their belief may be):
- Damn
- Hell
- God's teeth
- Christ on a crutch (and variants)
Neutral
- Shit
- Shitbird
- Ass
- Asshat
- Assclown
- Piss, piss off