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Time to Reimagine the Term ‘Pussy’
“Don’t hit like a wimp. Put some power into it.”
I glance up from my punching bag, and the man speaking is a stranger. He locks eyes with me, then unleashes a powerful punch into the heavy bag, the chains rattling violently.
I catch a glimpse of his technique, eager to learn how to strike with all my might. Yet, at the same time, I feel a wave of discomfort wash over me, the term “pussy” amplifying my feelings of vulnerability. I lower my gloved hands, still feeling the bag sway from the impact.
Before my daughter arrived, I hadn’t given much thought to the connection between my body and the word “pussy” — at least not in its derogatory sense, often used to insult a man’s masculinity or imply a woman’s helplessness. But becoming a mother opened my eyes to these subtle slights.
After all, I literally pushed a small human through that very anatomy, and it wasn’t damaged — my pussy, I mean. In fact, I could do it again if I wanted. Not to boast, but my pussy is pretty remarkable, thank you very much. All pussies are. I challenge anyone to find a part of the human body, regardless of gender, that boasts the strength of a pussy, except perhaps for the uterus.
The term “pussy” generally refers to female genitalia, both internal and external. When used as an insult, it implies weakness. This rhetorical device is synecdoche: the part (the pussy) is used to represent the whole (the woman). When this part is depicted as weak, it suggests that the entire woman embodies that weakness. Let’s not confuse anatomy with gender; a vagina does not define womanhood. There are women without them and men with them. Yet, using “pussy” in a negative context aims to undermine all women, regardless of their anatomy.
I can confidently say that childbirth is one of the most challenging feats a pussy can accomplish. I hear buzz about women “voting with their vaginas,” which sounds tough too, but I digress. Bringing a child into the world is no small task. It’s a breathtaking display of strength, endurance, faith, bravery, and love.
Never have I felt as empowered as I did when my daughter was born. It was the one instance where I achieved something seemingly impossible, all thanks to sheer will and biology. On that very day, around the globe, over 300,000 women were undertaking the same extraordinary challenge, most utilizing their vaginas to do so. Incredible!
I’m not one to equate reproductive capabilities with womanhood, because that’s just silly. Nor would I ever downplay alternative paths to motherhood that don’t involve childbirth. So, let’s set aside the topic of birth for now; pussies are meant to do so much more — primarily whatever their owners decide. And let me be clear — none of those functions signify powerlessness. They encompass blood, pain, passion, love, pleasure, and strength.
It’s this remarkable power of female anatomy that draws constant attempts to belittle, distort, legislate, and appropriate. Whether it’s the portrayal of women in labor demanding pain relief or the debate over which parts of women’s bodies are acceptable to expose (essentially, male pleasure = good; breastfeeding = bad). Or consider the ongoing struggle for access to birth control and safe abortion.
Moreover, women frequently face abuse from men who profess to love them, and societal notions of female sexual purity have led to dire consequences, both figuratively and literally. Young women are still taught to avoid sexual violence while young men aren’t consistently educated on consent. Women’s power is repeatedly contested, and maintaining it requires immense strength. For me, this all crystallizes around that seemingly trivial insult: “pussy.”
Now, I won’t stoop to belittling male anatomy — I have a healthy appreciation for the penis. I mean, it may not be a vagina, but it’s pretty cool too (and I wouldn’t want to scare anyone). Instead, I’ll emphasize that all our bodies are miraculous and capable of extraordinary things. They all deserve recognition.
I don’t need to diminish anyone else to assert my strength. But I will assert my strength.
So I turn back to my punching bag, shaking off the man’s words. I raise my gloves and strike the bag with intention. My long hair sticks to the sweat on my back as I repeat my rhythm: One, two, slip, two, body, body. I feel one of my fingernails break inside my glove, but I keep going.
I remind myself, over and over: Swing harder. Hit. Hit like a pussy.
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In summary, the term “pussy” has been used to belittle women, yet the reality is that it embodies strength and resilience. We should redefine our understanding of the word and celebrate the power inherent in all bodies, recognizing that every individual has their own unique strength.