an old piece of writing
I got an email today (waves hi!) and it triggered a memory of something written quite a bit ago.
Behind the cut is a paper I wrote for a class when I was going to school online. I had no idea it was that long ago.
I wrote the paper because there was a debate going on at the time. It amuses and ... frustrates me ... that it's still a debate.
A Rose by Any Other Name
January 9, 2001
People tend to get a little nervous when I introduce myself as a Wench. Women stand guard in front of their spouses. Men smile nervously, back up a few steps, and look around desperately for their significant others to come rescue them. Mothers make certain that their children are kept out of the range of my influence. My own mother still shakes her head sadly when I claim my title in public.
How can a word, just a simple, little word, cause such a stir when used to describe someone? Why should it be that a word that once meant only young woman or girl should come to be a slur most women would avoid? There is a movement, small but strong and growing, of women who are reclaiming words that have come to be used against them as insults. They are standing up and refusing to be labeled by taking those labels and changing the meanings to fit themselves-- their own image of themselves.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1290 wench was used to mean “a girl, maid, young woman; a female child.” Then in 1575, wench had come to mean “a girl of the rustic or working class.” Neither of those meanings should strike fear in anyone’s hearts. Over the years, though, its connotative meanings have changed through usage. It would be an interesting full-blown thesis, I think, to fully study the socio-economic structures in place during the time periods when the word changed. Was it a slur against court women during the Victorian era to refer to them with a word that had come to mean course peasant woman? Was it a social thing that peasant women would do as noble men instructed and therefore to the noble women these peasants were all of loose morals? Isn’t it possible that our modern day idea of the tavern wench evolved not from actual happenings but merely from insults used against women who had to work for a living outside of their home during a time period when that was unacceptable?
Today, of course, wench is most commonly used as an insult. It implies loose morals and a shrewish temperament. I happened to once catch an episode of “Sally”, the television talk show starring Sally Jesse Raphael. On the show, the guests and audience were encouraged to refrain from using the word bitch and to instead insult one another using the word wench. It was highly amusing to me as the literal definitions of both words are really benign. It is the connotative definitions, the common usage of a word that determines if it can hurt or not. We are bombarded by the media, written and visual, with negative images associated with wench, bitch, and even feminist. How many times have you heard the joke about feminists and comfortable shoes? If a woman is strong, outspoken, intelligent, and powerful then she is either a bitch or she wants to be a man.
There are women out there who are tired of such labels. They have reached a point where being called any variation on the word female is not an insult to them. They are embracing words that denote female status and are refuting the negative connotations attached to them. Crickett Lancaster, a member of the International Wenches Guild states emphatically, “I've reclaimed quite a number of words that people use in a derogatory manner towards women. Wench? Sure! Bitch? Definitely. Cunt? Absolutely. And why not? I'm proud of all of those words, whether it's me and my best friends flinging them about admiringly, or a construction worker who thinks he's insulting me. Scenario: I'm approached by some skanky drunk guy at a bar who drools, pukes near my shoes, tells me I have a big ass, and then asks for my number. If I refuse and he calls me a cunt, you're damn right I'm gonna own up to it! If *that* makes me a cunt, I'm proud to be one!" (Crickett Lancaster, International Wenches Guild, MCL, personal communication, January 9, 2001). She is not the only woman out there with a mind of her own and the attitude to use it. There are several organizations of such women cropping up around the country and on the web.
The International Wenches Guild is a fledgling woman’s organization that began five years ago at the New York Renaissance Festival. They now have official chapters in southern CA, FL, TX, and all over the East Coast. The guild members, over 1600 and counting, define themselves in this manner:
As long as you are a strong woman who is not afraid to flaunt brain, body and soul, you too could be a wench. In our organization, the word does not have any negative connotations, nor do words such as hussy, trollop, strumpet, jade, tart or Madame. In fact, we have even come up with acronym for wench:
Women Entitled to Nothing but Complete Happiness.
What We are Are:
1. We are a group of strong, independent women (and a few men).
2. We are entitled to nothing but complete happiness.
3. We are mothers, daughters, married, single, gay, straight, students, teachers, workers, entrepreneurs and homemakers.
4. We are proud of our bodies, our minds and our hearts.
5. We carry ourselves with dignity and pride and take responsibility for our own actions.
6. We learn from our pasts and shape our futures.
7. We are fighters and lovers, nurturers and hunters.
8. We are ready.
What We Are NOT:
1. We are not perfect, but we learn and teach from our mistakes, and the mistakes of others.
2. We are not PC. We are not threatened. We are unafraid to stand firm in our judgements.
3. We are not threatened by those who intend to intimidate us, and we will *not* be subdued.
4. We are not a political organization although we do have some very strong, group opinions on domestic abuse and the equality of women.
5. We are not a group of Femi-Nazis. We are not against men in any way; in fact, there are male members in the wench guild.
6. We are not limited to Renaissance Faires, although that is where many of our member first heard of the Guild.
7. We are not content to sit idly by and watch as ourselves and our sisters are being stifled, ignored, abused, abandoned, raped, murdered, stereotyped or mistreated in any other way, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or socially.
8. We are not afraid.
What’s a Wench? [2001, January 9, 2001]
[Online]. Available: http://www.wench.org/article.php?story=20000824023313766
Heartless Bitches International began when two friends were discussing the inequalities with men prevalent at their jobs and on the internet. "Given that we both work in high tech, a strongly male-dominated environment, we started joking/bitching about the fact that women who behave in a no-nonsense, straightforward, assertive, or even aggressive manner are called Heartless Bitches, while men who do the same are respected." P., Natalie. (2001, January).About HBI
[Online] Available: http://www.heartlessbitches.com The organization encourages and applauds attitudes in women that have been stereotyped as unfeminine. "I think that some of the qualities that may be defined as 'Heartless Bitch' qualities may help people go farther and achieve their goals more readily - especially assertiveness, focus, lack of acceptance for limits defined by others, and belief in one's self." Natalie P., Heartless Bitches International
P., Natalie. (2001, January).About HBI [Online] Available: http://www.heartlessbitches.com HBI has grown to a large website containing articles, opinions, references, and attitude in the extreme. The site has won numerous awards and accolades.
Wench.com is another female oriented website that has reclaimed the word wench and is using it to create solidarity and knock down stereotypes. “Women today are at a crossroads: the women's movement has made it possible for them to achieve more than ever before, even as a rising conservative movement threatens women's power and freedom. Wench is a guide to the choices of the next millennium. Full of articles and essays, frank criticism, insightful commentary and a biting sense of humor, Wench charts the social and political terrain in which women live, and helps women and men alike understand where we all need to go. “ Welcome to Wench 3.0 (2001, January 9).
[Online]. Available: http://www.eveseye.com/rag/archive/enojada_summer99.html
I, personally, define wench as any woman that deals with her life and her responsibilities with attitude, honesty, and humor. Wenches are women with attitude that don’t make excuses; they just make do. It’s a wild world out there. Women have always been up to dealing with it. Now we are changing our labels to reflect that. Words that once only denoted gender have been mutated to connote negative traits specific to females. We are done with that. We will not be teaching it to our children in the future, either.
Wench is changing with the times. It has before and it will again. Words change when attitudes alter and there are women out there today creating change. I am a Wench, and proud to be. It's obvious that my interpretation of the title goes against the current standards, but it is just a word. And all words can change, can transform, can be reclaimed, by any group of people who so choose to create that change. Wench doesn't mean what it used to, but it no longer means what you think it does, either.
Behind the cut is a paper I wrote for a class when I was going to school online. I had no idea it was that long ago.
I wrote the paper because there was a debate going on at the time. It amuses and ... frustrates me ... that it's still a debate.
A Rose by Any Other Name
January 9, 2001
People tend to get a little nervous when I introduce myself as a Wench. Women stand guard in front of their spouses. Men smile nervously, back up a few steps, and look around desperately for their significant others to come rescue them. Mothers make certain that their children are kept out of the range of my influence. My own mother still shakes her head sadly when I claim my title in public.
How can a word, just a simple, little word, cause such a stir when used to describe someone? Why should it be that a word that once meant only young woman or girl should come to be a slur most women would avoid? There is a movement, small but strong and growing, of women who are reclaiming words that have come to be used against them as insults. They are standing up and refusing to be labeled by taking those labels and changing the meanings to fit themselves-- their own image of themselves.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1290 wench was used to mean “a girl, maid, young woman; a female child.” Then in 1575, wench had come to mean “a girl of the rustic or working class.” Neither of those meanings should strike fear in anyone’s hearts. Over the years, though, its connotative meanings have changed through usage. It would be an interesting full-blown thesis, I think, to fully study the socio-economic structures in place during the time periods when the word changed. Was it a slur against court women during the Victorian era to refer to them with a word that had come to mean course peasant woman? Was it a social thing that peasant women would do as noble men instructed and therefore to the noble women these peasants were all of loose morals? Isn’t it possible that our modern day idea of the tavern wench evolved not from actual happenings but merely from insults used against women who had to work for a living outside of their home during a time period when that was unacceptable?
Today, of course, wench is most commonly used as an insult. It implies loose morals and a shrewish temperament. I happened to once catch an episode of “Sally”, the television talk show starring Sally Jesse Raphael. On the show, the guests and audience were encouraged to refrain from using the word bitch and to instead insult one another using the word wench. It was highly amusing to me as the literal definitions of both words are really benign. It is the connotative definitions, the common usage of a word that determines if it can hurt or not. We are bombarded by the media, written and visual, with negative images associated with wench, bitch, and even feminist. How many times have you heard the joke about feminists and comfortable shoes? If a woman is strong, outspoken, intelligent, and powerful then she is either a bitch or she wants to be a man.
There are women out there who are tired of such labels. They have reached a point where being called any variation on the word female is not an insult to them. They are embracing words that denote female status and are refuting the negative connotations attached to them. Crickett Lancaster, a member of the International Wenches Guild states emphatically, “I've reclaimed quite a number of words that people use in a derogatory manner towards women. Wench? Sure! Bitch? Definitely. Cunt? Absolutely. And why not? I'm proud of all of those words, whether it's me and my best friends flinging them about admiringly, or a construction worker who thinks he's insulting me. Scenario: I'm approached by some skanky drunk guy at a bar who drools, pukes near my shoes, tells me I have a big ass, and then asks for my number. If I refuse and he calls me a cunt, you're damn right I'm gonna own up to it! If *that* makes me a cunt, I'm proud to be one!" (Crickett Lancaster, International Wenches Guild, MCL, personal communication, January 9, 2001). She is not the only woman out there with a mind of her own and the attitude to use it. There are several organizations of such women cropping up around the country and on the web.
The International Wenches Guild is a fledgling woman’s organization that began five years ago at the New York Renaissance Festival. They now have official chapters in southern CA, FL, TX, and all over the East Coast. The guild members, over 1600 and counting, define themselves in this manner:
As long as you are a strong woman who is not afraid to flaunt brain, body and soul, you too could be a wench. In our organization, the word does not have any negative connotations, nor do words such as hussy, trollop, strumpet, jade, tart or Madame. In fact, we have even come up with acronym for wench:
Women Entitled to Nothing but Complete Happiness.
What We are Are:
1. We are a group of strong, independent women (and a few men).
2. We are entitled to nothing but complete happiness.
3. We are mothers, daughters, married, single, gay, straight, students, teachers, workers, entrepreneurs and homemakers.
4. We are proud of our bodies, our minds and our hearts.
5. We carry ourselves with dignity and pride and take responsibility for our own actions.
6. We learn from our pasts and shape our futures.
7. We are fighters and lovers, nurturers and hunters.
8. We are ready.
What We Are NOT:
1. We are not perfect, but we learn and teach from our mistakes, and the mistakes of others.
2. We are not PC. We are not threatened. We are unafraid to stand firm in our judgements.
3. We are not threatened by those who intend to intimidate us, and we will *not* be subdued.
4. We are not a political organization although we do have some very strong, group opinions on domestic abuse and the equality of women.
5. We are not a group of Femi-Nazis. We are not against men in any way; in fact, there are male members in the wench guild.
6. We are not limited to Renaissance Faires, although that is where many of our member first heard of the Guild.
7. We are not content to sit idly by and watch as ourselves and our sisters are being stifled, ignored, abused, abandoned, raped, murdered, stereotyped or mistreated in any other way, whether physically, mentally, emotionally or socially.
8. We are not afraid.
What’s a Wench? [2001, January 9, 2001]
[Online]. Available: http://www.wench.org/article.php?story=20000824023313766
Heartless Bitches International began when two friends were discussing the inequalities with men prevalent at their jobs and on the internet. "Given that we both work in high tech, a strongly male-dominated environment, we started joking/bitching about the fact that women who behave in a no-nonsense, straightforward, assertive, or even aggressive manner are called Heartless Bitches, while men who do the same are respected." P., Natalie. (2001, January).About HBI
[Online] Available: http://www.heartlessbitches.com The organization encourages and applauds attitudes in women that have been stereotyped as unfeminine. "I think that some of the qualities that may be defined as 'Heartless Bitch' qualities may help people go farther and achieve their goals more readily - especially assertiveness, focus, lack of acceptance for limits defined by others, and belief in one's self." Natalie P., Heartless Bitches International
P., Natalie. (2001, January).About HBI [Online] Available: http://www.heartlessbitches.com HBI has grown to a large website containing articles, opinions, references, and attitude in the extreme. The site has won numerous awards and accolades.
Wench.com is another female oriented website that has reclaimed the word wench and is using it to create solidarity and knock down stereotypes. “Women today are at a crossroads: the women's movement has made it possible for them to achieve more than ever before, even as a rising conservative movement threatens women's power and freedom. Wench is a guide to the choices of the next millennium. Full of articles and essays, frank criticism, insightful commentary and a biting sense of humor, Wench charts the social and political terrain in which women live, and helps women and men alike understand where we all need to go. “ Welcome to Wench 3.0 (2001, January 9).
[Online]. Available: http://www.eveseye.com/rag/archive/enojada_summer99.html
I, personally, define wench as any woman that deals with her life and her responsibilities with attitude, honesty, and humor. Wenches are women with attitude that don’t make excuses; they just make do. It’s a wild world out there. Women have always been up to dealing with it. Now we are changing our labels to reflect that. Words that once only denoted gender have been mutated to connote negative traits specific to females. We are done with that. We will not be teaching it to our children in the future, either.
Wench is changing with the times. It has before and it will again. Words change when attitudes alter and there are women out there today creating change. I am a Wench, and proud to be. It's obvious that my interpretation of the title goes against the current standards, but it is just a word. And all words can change, can transform, can be reclaimed, by any group of people who so choose to create that change. Wench doesn't mean what it used to, but it no longer means what you think it does, either.