This post has not been vetted or endorsed by BuzzFeed's editorial staff. BuzzFeed Community is a place where anyone can create a post or quiz. Try making your own!
*I've been writing and tweaking this for some time now. This is my opinion, and you can disagree with me if you'd like.*Hi there, Cumberbitches.Let me start out by saying this. I am a supporter and fan of Benedict Cumberbatch: He is an incredible actor, he remains humble and down-to-earth despite all of his successes, and he seems like a genuinely wonderful man to be around. And I am impressed by the fandom you have created. I think you are all very devoted, intelligent women. So, with that being stated, you may not like what I am about to say, but as this has been bothering me for a while, I need to.Please stop calling yourselves Cumberbitches.I did some research to learn more about the commonly used word, and bitch, as is very well known, is the proper and technical term for a female dog. The term itself has been around since about 1000 AD. The vulgar use of the word bitch has been used since the fourteenth or fifteenth century and would refer to the sexual desire of a woman as an object, much like a dog in heat. In some places throughout the world people would use the word bitch to equate women to dogs, as sexually depraved beasts who grovel and beg for the attention of men. It is a derogatory term for basically, a subordinate.As a person who believes in equal rights for men and women, I do not exactly take kindly to that. Granted, I do not take well to any sort of derogatory term for either gender. Being a bitch is not something that a woman should strive towards. In the past few years there have been attempts to make the word into something that is viewed in a more positive light, something that a woman would want to be. Be a bitch in the workplace, a bitch on the streets: Be someone or something intimidating.However, the derogatory root is still there. It is something that cannot be ignored. The fact is, millions of women all over the world are being degraded and treated as less equal than their male counterparts every single day. Allowing for degradation to happen on a seemingly small scope does nothing to help the women that I have just mentioned. No one should stand for derogatory slang aimed at them.I know that when you started the nickname it wasn't meant to be derogatory towards yourselves. Yes, it's handy that the 'a' in Cumberbatch is so easily replaced with an 'i'. But it doesn't mean that it should happen. An entire fandom should not be grouped under the term bitch. A woman should never be someone's bitch, joking or not.Continue your dedication. Continue your support. But please, stop calling yourselves Cumberbitches. I've been seeing some ideas on and around the interwebs to get the name changed: From Cumberbitches to Cumberbabes, The Cumber Collective, and so on.But my personal favorite is this:Individually called A Cumbercookie, collectively called A Cumberbatch.Thanks for reading,Stephanie
Share This Article
