From 800-year-old insult to ‘girl-boss’ endearment: The reframing of the c-word

What to watch, read, drink and buy: get ready for the weekend with these great diversions.

Spotlight / Word on the street

The c-word is having a moment – and no, we’re not talking climate change or cricket creases. We mean a 13th-century word derived from Old Norse for, ahem, vulva. That’s right, c— – a term so freighted with patriarchal disdain and yet so satisfying to utter (hello, short, grunting vowel sandwiched between two slicing consonants) that it has enjoyed universal recognition as the ne plus ultra of insults for centuries.

And yet, thanks to a little LGBTQ love and a lot of social-media affirmation, it’s enjoying a feminist glow-up. In April, at a bash in San Francisco’s MOMA, artist Marilyn Minter decorated the space with eyebrow-raising slogans to protest the toppling of Roe v Wade (our favourite? “No Cuntry For Old Men”, above), while in London, Bella Freud’s eponymous, uber-cool fashion label is doing a brisk trade in “Hello C—y” tees. In 2019, make-up queen Trinny Woodall stunned The Project panel and viewers alike when she revealed she calls her bestie (former What Not To Wear co-host) Susannah Constantine “C—” as a sign of her devotion. Meanwhile, the phrase “serving c—” , first seen in a Tumblr post in the 2010s and now populating Twitter, means to attain the very pinnacle of girl-boss ascendancy.

“The c-word is being reclaimed,” Stan Carey, editor of the blog Strong Language, tells Rolling Stone. “Since identity politics is now such a common part of public discourse, it makes sense that words intended as weapons … would be reappropriated by their targets as a way of blunting [them].”

Co-opted by black trans women and NYC’s ballroom scene since the ’90s, the c-word has been rebranded as drag culture has become more mainstream (think RuPaul’s Drag Race) – and a potent female mystique has usurped the ages-old misogyny. More a case of “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent”, as RuPaul sings in the 2017 song, than “C U Next Tuesday”. Sharon Bradley

Get cosy / living doll

The Barbie promotional machine is determined to turn women’s wardrobes pink, leaving some feminist followers of fashion feeling uneasy. Making resistance difficult, however, is Emu Australia’s fluffy Mayberry slippers ($100), which are perfect for padding around your dream house this winter. The covetable collaboration with toy giant Mattel is encrusted with gems for an added touch of indulgence. The good news is, they can be worn with flat feet (in-joke alert); the bad news is, they only go up to a women’s size 11. Sorry, Ken. Damien Woolnough