Why, thank you!

Last year (and many times before that/since then), someone called me a bitch. For some reason, that time I got very upset. It's tough work being a woman with a big personality. Anyways at that moment, my roommate marched in with a quote that completely changed my perspective on the whole thing and every time I read it again, it makes me want to speak a little louder, express my ideas/thoughts a little more, and overall just stand with my head held a little higher. Yeah, it's tough being a woman with a big personality. But it sure beats sitting on the sidelines.

"Whenever anyone has called me a bitch, I have taken it as a compliment. To me, a bitch is assertive, unapologetic, demanding, intimidating, intelligent, fiercely protective, in control - all very positive attributes. But it's not supposed to be a compliment, because there's that old, stupid double standard: when men are aggressive and dominant, they are admired, but when a women possesses those same qualities, she is dismissed and called a bitch.

These days, I strive to be a bitch, because not being one sucks. Not being a bitch means not having your voice heard. not being a bitch means you agree with all the bullshit. Not being a bitch means you don't appreciate all the other bitches who have come before you. Not being a bitch means since Eve ate that apple, we will forever have to pay for her bitchiness with complacence, obedience, acceptance, closed eyes and open legs. "

- Margaret Cho

So now when I get called a bitch, I answer, "why thank you!"