6/29/01
Behold:
The Power of "Pussy"...
One of the nice things about having an online journal, as opposed to the kind you lock and keep under the bed, is that you end up hearing back from people sometimes about things you wrote in your online journal.
I mean, I've never kept a print, under-the-bed journal, so this is just an assumption. Maybe some of you out there have lockpicking snoops under your bed who then keep you up at night relating anecdotes and personal experiences they're willing to share based on what they read in your broken-into diary. You know, I'm not psychic.
Last week, I wrote about the word "Pussy," and my ambivalence (read: Childish enthusiasm) about using the word, which, based on a recent episode of Sex and the City (where all assumptions men make about women are now borne) in which the word was used several times. Now, my reasoning was, the word has been emancipated by fashionable, sex-enamored women of New York for the rest of us to use.
Readers were vocal about pussy. They like to say it. Some of them even have one...
Vanessa writes:
My ex-boyfriend has this ongoing gag where he also wants to stage a play from inside a woman's vagina and uterus. It would involve the reproductive cycle, so there'd be the characters of the Ovum and then there'd be The Little Lost Sperm, etc...I was to play the part of the IUD, which would consist of me spinning around in a circle and yelling "Doctors aren't quite sure how I work! They think I irritate the uterine walls and create a hostile environment so fertilized eggs can't implant!"So. You're not the only one with aspirations of Theatre of the Vagina, but I doubt my little story makes either one of us sound any *less* crazy.
The race is on! Dueling theater projects! It'll be just like when Volcano and Dante's Peak came out within two weeks of each other.
Kim wrote:
I don't know. I say pussy all the time. I call both men and women pussies. I think it's a funny word.
I know it's not a word to use "in mixed company" but I equate it with something like "motherfucker." I wouldn't say it in front of my parents or my priest.
I think I've used it in recaps. So, I wasn't offended by your entry.
Mistress Ann laid down some wisdom on my ass:
As much as it makes me cringe, I think the world is ready for pussy, as long as it's not used to describe something bad. Even I am starting to get used to it, and I used to cover my ears every time I heard it.
I've been working on my own personal crusade inspired by Inga Muscio's "Cunt." That is, feminism (whether concerning a straight or gay woman) should be called "cuntlovin'" from now on. I don't think, however, that the world is quite ready for that yet.
Perhaps your pussy will work better.
Let's not talk about my pussy.
Notice, the c-word up there. I don't care how enlightened people of this Earth become, I still don't wanna use that word. Maybe that's just me. I didn't even type it. I just copy/pasted from e-mail. I have issues, folks.
Kerri had this to say:
Okay, I'm a girl, I'm just using my male roommate's e-mail. I don't care a bit bout the word "pussy." Of course calling someone a pussy is demeaning, so is calling someone a dickhead. Ha ha, spellcheck acknowledges the existence of the word "pussy" but not the word "dickhead." Actually it doesn't even acknowledge the word "spellcheck." How ironic. Anyhoo, women who get upset about the use of the word "pussy" do so because they think it's a way of saying that women are naturally wimpy, wallflowerish, and not macho. Bullshit. When I call someone a dickhead I'm not saying that men are naturally insensitive assholes. It's just a fucking word. You may think you've lost a big portion of your female readers with this piece, but actually the only reason I read it at all was because you kept saying "pussy." It's a funny word, specially if you're extremely inebriated as I am at this point. Man, am I going to regret sending this in a couple of hours. These ergonomic keyboards are fucking hard to get used to. Bye bye.
PS This computer just warned me that I used potentially offensive language in this e-mail, and I might consider toning it down before sending. I guess computers don't like the word "pussy" either. Or maybe my roommate's just a big pussy. Ciao. I'm going to have more wine now. Wheee...
Hilarious essay today. I linked to it on my weblog. No offense taken; I loved it.
I have to say, though, it's taken me awhile to get comfortable with men using the term "pussy." I use it myself, in many ways, but in my little feminist world, I like knowing that I can take ownership of the word, use it, and hopefully dilute the meaning for the men who like to walk around talking about how much "pussy" they got over the weekend. Of course, it was Ann Magnuson and Bongwater who gave me the word back, in their song "Power of Pussy." Just so you know.
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Clip
Art Corner
"The Attorney General says that with this new Xerox, the government can copy three asses at a time!"