"Stop being a pussy"
You may have heard this come from the mouths of your friends, brothers, cousins, whoever, or maybe you’re like me and you used to say it in middle school because you thought it would make you sound cooler and fit in better! Not.
Historically speaking, we don’t exactly know it origins. But we know that the word pussy became sexualized in the 1800’s, (because the Victorian’s were all closeted perverts) when it was associated with vaginas, referring to “something soft, warm and furry.” (lmao)
Because in contemporary terms, pussy is widely recognized as profanity (surprising, I know) because it’s considered to be a derogatory word that dehumanizes women, reducing them down to just their external genitalia. You wouldn’t think though, because this word is thrown around left and right in pop culture. Although it still surprises me when I hear someone say it out loud.. It’s like I wince because of how much I dislike it.
Pussy is also heavily used in a belittling manner toward boys and men as a means to characterize them as cowardly, weak, feeble, etc. This is saying that the boy / man in question is not masculine or daring enough in any given circumstance or due to his overall personality.
“He couldn’t do it, what a pussy!”
But did you know, this actually has nothing to do with women, our vaginas or comparisons to female weakness... Well, at least it wasn’t supposed to.
The slang term comes from a Latin word, “pusillanimous” which I wish I would've learned in my intro to latin class freshman year of college, but I digress.
Pusillanimous (adj.) - showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.
Throughout the years, the lines between the two words have been blurred which brings us to the confusion and overlapping notions of the two. Regardless of the meaning or manner, the word is still heavily regarded as controversial.
What bothers me though is that if you were to ask some of your guy friends why they use “pussy” as an insult, you know for a fact they’re not going to be like: “Oh because in my classics class I was reading about the history of etymology and Latin words and learned that instead of saying pusillanimous, I can shorten it down to pussy.”
So sure, it may not have been intended to make the words: weak, fragile and cowardly synonymous with female genitalia, but I think that is how most people mean to use it today. And that’s annoying and doesn’t make any sense.
The cervix and vagina are one of the strongest muscles and body parts capable of such pain and tearing at the sake of producing and giving life to another. And you’re able to do it again and again and again. Amazing.
So what I’m proposing is that the next time you hear someone use the word “pussy” as an insult, ask them if they know where that word actually derived from and it’s intended definition. Make sure they know it actually has nothing to do with inherently insulting women.