How Insults Illuminate Gender Identity

In chapter 5 of the textbook, there was one section that talked about the differences between being a man and being a woman, being masculine and being feminine. This short discussion on gender identity sparked my interest because this has been a topic that I have always been somewhat fascinated with. So, in the hopes that I do not offend anyone, I want to talk about how men and women insult each other and how these insults reflect the traits that are associated with each gender that were highlighted in the book. For women, the trait I want to draw attention to is “appearance still counts,” and for men, the trait, “don’t be female.”

When one wants to insult a woman, there are several ways to go about it. For one, (and this insult usually comes from men) if it is known that the woman is a pro-active feminist, then when she is talking about an issue (usually related to gender) one can call her a ‘femi-nazi.’ However insulting as this may be, this insult is not all inclusive. Many women do not actively adhere to what some claim is an abrasive ideology, and some even go as far as saying they do not like other women who always bring up the gender issue, regardless of what feminists have done for women in general. If one wants to insult most women in America today, then one has to attack her image. This attack can take several forms. One can either insult her physical appearance and how it deviates from what is deemed attractive in today’s society, or one can attack her record in terms of sexual activity. These insults usually are very degrading and hurtful for women, but what I find interesting about them is that one can not readily apply these same insults towards men.

When insulting men, image is not so much the focus as is the perception of masculinity. If somebody calls me a “whore,” I very well might laugh at the ridiculousness of the concept. However, if other insults start being thrown at me, like calling me a “little girl,” then I might be put more on the defensive. Men are so keen on protecting their masculinity that small phrases like, “Come on, be a man” are enough to prod them into doing things they might not really want to do. Of course there are probably other insults that come to people’s minds when one wants to put a man down, but these gender specific insults are very illuminating when looking at how people construct their gender identity in America today.