A Reclamation of “The C-Word”

Cunt. C. U. N. T. Rarely have four letters been able to elicit such a powerful negative response from a person. People cringe at the world, get furious, raise battle cries. But why? Why is this four letter word so powerful?

I hadn’t heard the word cunt until my senior year of high school. I can’t remember the context in which it was used, but I remember thinking “Cunt? What does that even mean?” Even now, most people can’t absolutely define what it means to be called a cunt: we just know it’s bad, and that we should get angry if ever we’re called one. I’ve been called one; I have a friend who wants nothing more than to be called a cunt for some insignificant offense. And the fact of the matter is, most women will be called a cunt at one point or another in their lives. Unless they’re living in a convent. Or maybe if they’re Amish.

While my acquaintanceship with the word is fairly recent, “cunt” has been around for a long time. Its origins can be traced to ancient civilizations in India, China, Ireland, Rome, and Egypt, but the words used in these cultures were titles of respect for women. So cunt was originally our (women’s) word. Why not take it back for ourselves?

That’s right, I want to reclaim cunt. And I want you to reclaim it, too. With its sociocultural prevalence, encountering the word is unavoidable, so why not take it for ourselves and make it positive again? Being able to alter and reclaim such an undeniably formidable word is a very powerful thing to do. Eve Ensler and Germaine Greer would agree.

I’m not saying we have to go around greeting each other with a “How are you, ya cunt?” every day (although that is, of course, an option). Reclamation can take many forms. Last year, I had the opportunity to take Psychology of Women and Gender here at JMU. When “cunt” was brought up in class, the professor suggested that, the next time someone gets called a cunt, look at the offending vocalist, smile, and say “why thank you”. An act as small as that removes the power from the word, and places it back in your hands.

Maybe you’re not comfortable with the idea of reclamation, and that’s okay. Think about it. Do some research. Get back to me. For further information on cunt (the word and the “anatomical jewel”), check out the aptly titled Cunt, by Inga Muscio.

Happy reclaiming, everyone.