to think it’s a bit depressing that women still use these terms against other women?

[HazelMember]

I’ve noticed that the harshest, most misogynistic insults on mumsnet I hear are actually coming from women directed at other women. Words like cunt, bitch, cow, etc.

When men are criticised, the language often seems much milder or at least less specifically gendered.

Is it internalised misogyny? Habit? Just how people speak now?

Heh. CAKETHIEF deserves to be a cruel epithet all by itself.

Its the word that’s misogynistic.

@HazelMember , have you seen an OW thread? If not, buckle up.
That's where you see some 'real' name calling and it's never by the men.

Did she really behave like a bitch or a cow? I think she behaved like a childish queen bee woman.

And the c word should be banned. It is so nasty.

Obviously it is not just one thread. Are you new to MN?

It is mostly women on MN.

I has forgotten about that (conveniently).

Olivia Coleman's favourite swearword clip is much funnier and one I can actually relate to. Have you seen it?

You think women on MN go easier on men than other women?

Riiiiight

Really? It could be argued that the significance given to 'cunt' shows reverence. Before we went secular, blasphemy was the worst swearing you could do. 'You hellhound' or 'She is Babylon' wouldn't have the same impact today!

For this thread's enjoyment: Scene from The New Art and Mystery of Gossiping, Being a Genuine Account of All the Women’s Clubs in and about the City and Suburbs of London, c.1760

Hmm just because someone is a woman, it doesn’t mean they are nice. I’ll happily describe my dh’s OW a cunt, slag, bitch, any of it really. I learnt at that moment that there was no sisterhood and since then I don’t trust anyone - man or woman.

But “childish queen bee woman” doesn’t have that ring to it. No offence, but it’s a shit insult.

I saw a clip on Youtube (I think) of an argument between two people, one of whom accused the other of stealing his cat and he kept shouting "cat pervert" at the other person. I loved that. Haven't had much opportunity to use it on MN yet, alas.

I prefer to use witch.
In saying that there are insults exclusive to men, dick-head, prick, wanker. I’ll stop now.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I myself like the word poltroon and use it liberally

Can you link it.

Men are referred to as cunts as much as women.

They're generally more likely to be referred to as: arseholes, wankers, pricks, pigs, bastards - are those misandrist terms?

Women are often called a bitch or a cow, while men are more likely to be called a prick, an arsehole, or a bollocks.

Cunt is an equal opportunities insult.

Well if you'd RTFT you'd have seen that the Sil was indeed a cunt. If you can't handle swearing Mumsnet may not be the place for you.

I could...

These are just words. Misogyny has nothing to do with it. It is not our fault that the men decided to pick the harshest sounding word and say it means a vagina. Its more to do with the letter sounds than the meaning. If it was meaning then why is cunt worse than fanny??? Answer me that.
I call men cunts all the time. Much more so than I do women. I also call women dickheads and pricks. They aren't gendered words that you can only call one sex. I also happen to like swearing.😂

I think it’s still misogyny though, even when it’s coming from women. The words mentioned in my OP aren’t neutral insults. They exist specifically to put women down.

If we’d be uncomfortable hearing men use them, I don’t really see why it’s suddenly fine when women direct them at each other. It feels like internalised misogyny being normalised.

Like other posters have said dickhead, cock, wanker etc. are insults used to specifically put men down so are they misandrist insults? Does anyone even give a fuck if they are?

The words cow and bitch don't exist specifically to put women down by the way. They were created to describe animals and then co opted as insults.

Think you’ve hit a few nerves here OP. Good on you. 🥰

So comparing women with animals? 😬

I don’t feel any worse when a man calls me a bitch than if a woman did, because frankly I’m not that sensitive.

I think things like flower, pet, her indoors, anything related to how I should be baking cakes instead of working, “modern career woman”, are all sexist. I turned down a job once because the interviewer started a sentence with the words “Listen, sweetheart.”

Cunt is just a run of the mill insult, and it’s not sexist.

The worst men can do to us really isn’t hurty words.

The OP us talking about women who are misogynists, not men.