Outspoken women, represent!

[idgiehkt]

I'm thinking about Rosie O'Donnell, or women like her. May not be the best example, but if you are ever called things like "opinionated" or consider yourself strong-willed or outspoken or argumentative, or show your emotions, and sometimes get called negative labels like shrill or unfeminine or bitchy or even crazy, please post here. I wanna hear from my sisters. :hi:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. Total fucking menthol shrill.

:P

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

3. "menthol shrill"

that is a new one on me :hi:

[EFerrari]

74. Menthol?

:rofl:

[idgiehkt]

85. it's

a great descriptive, no doubt. Bitingly bitchy. :)

[EFerrari]

87. I've never thought of it that way. Genius.

:)

[mopinko]

2. .

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

5. Yes!!!

that's what I'm talkin' about!

:rofl:

[skygazer]

4. You got it, my friend

Mouthy, outspoken, opinionated, bitchy and not afraid to vocalize checking in! :patriot:

[idgiehkt]

7. "Mouthy"

I knew there was one I left out of that OP.

:applause:

[L A Woman]

6. but is Rosie criticized for THAT?

or because she is mean-spirited?

[idgiehkt]

8. honestly

I tend to swoon when I watch her so I don't know. It's more about an attitude than the content of her words.

:hi:

[Zookeeper]

9. Hell-O!

I was going to have business cards printed that said, "Zookeeper. An Opinion for Every Occasion." No one was amused, though.

I enjoy being charming with people, so I do catch them off-guard when I speak my mind. And when people get to know me, I catch them off-guard when I *don't*....:+

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

15. Hi zookeeper

it's good to have you in the number. :hi:

[Zookeeper]

18. Thanks, Idgiehkt....

I know I'm in excellent company! :thumbsup:

[joneschick]

10. this is my daughter's, but she gets it from somewhere!

[idgiehkt]

12. I love it!!!

I have never seen that one. Excellent!

:applause:

[EFerrari]

75. I want one.

lol lol lol

[Rhythm]

11. never been one to 'sit down and shut up'... never will be.

[idgiehkt]

13. me either

just. can't. do. it.

And I've tried, lawd how I've tried...

:rofl:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. who me? opinionated? nah!

:p

[idgiehkt]

16. It wouldn't be a thread

without the Lioness! :hi:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. why thank you!!

[Gormy Cuss]

19. After careful reflection, I'm afraid that I must say that I don't belong in any group

of people who aren't interested in hearing my opinion because I come from a long line of opinionated, mouthy women with strong spines. In fact, we're known for that trait in my old community.

[idgiehkt]

20. yes, thank you!

I am feeling better after reading each response in this thread. It sucks I have to go to work (I actually should have been gone an hour ago) but hopefully there will be more responses while I am gone. People can sometimes make you feel like a freak of nature if you're female and have a mouth that stuff comes out of as well as goes into, lol.

[mcscajun]

21. Outspoken, opinionated, mouthy; yeah, I've been called all of those.

Also controlling, stubborn, and aggressive.

Hey, can I help it if I'm always right? The world would hum along so much more pleasantly if those around me would just understand that. :evilgrin:

I have three sisters just like me, too. I come from a long line of intelligent, well-educated control freaks; it's genetic! :rofl:

How many of our outspoken sisterhood here at DU have brothers? Just curious.

[idgiehkt]

23. my brothers are younger

they are actually both very quiet. I am reserved, but I just don't back down and I'm not a "stuffer", if I have emotions, they tend to come out.

:hi:

sigh, off to work...:(

[mcscajun]

38. I was a "stuffer" for a long, long time.

I bloomed around my mid-30s, and fully exploded in my 40s. I've settled down (just a tiny bit) now in my late 50s. :)

I'm not going to be one of those "red hat" ladies that you see in the mall, but still I've always liked this:

"...I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit...But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised." - Jenny Joseph

And I've always liked Purple. :)

[susanna]

94. Love it, mscajun!

That is a beautiful quote (or is it a poem)?

Whatever it is, I wholeheartedly second it. Thank you so much for sharing it - I'd never seen that before. I learn something new Every Single Day. ;-)

[mcscajun]

109. It's a poem by Jenny Joseph. Here's the whole thing:

Warning
By Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple
with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
and run my stick along the public railings
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick the flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at a go
or only bread and pickles for a week
and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
and pay our rent and not swear in the street
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

[susanna]

111. Fabulous!

I have a "wisdom" document that I keep on my PC. Nothing fancy, just a place to copy/paste wonderful things I've seen in my travels on the internets. ;-)

That poem made it in, and I'll likely look for more by her. Thanks for posting it!

[smtpgirl]

115. My mom has a red hat lady doll & christmas ornament

[Gormy Cuss]

26. Funny you should ask..

My brothers, save one, married outspoken women. My brothers are outspoken too but perceived as in the normal range for men.

Fortunately the brothers are there to lend support to the spouses of their mouthy sisters at family gatherings. I've been told we're a formidable bunch when all together.:evilgrin:

[mcscajun]

37. A formidable bunch...

...that's my sisters and I to a "T". :evilgrin:

It's taken some very special men to be a part of our family, and we of theirs. Not all of 'em stood the test of time.

[susanna]

95. I have an older brother.

Who was thisclose to abusive growing up. You think I joke? He threw me out a window when I was four (to see if I "bounced"), and Ted Nugent was one of his heroes.

Somewhere along the way, though, he stopped talking to me about the Nuge and right-wing blather, because he knows the result (in general, and in specific). He's been schooled publicly so many times, I guess he just became tired of looking clueless. :shrug:

Actually, we get along now, better than we ever did. I think he's worried I might someday pay him back for the window-throwing incident. ;-)

[Dastard Stepchild]

22. yeah.... checkin' in.

I swear profusely, too, which makes me uber unfeminine. :)

[idgiehkt]

24. me too

when I get mad I curse like a sailor. I curse when I'm not mad, but not as much. I never understood the "unfeminine" thing, it's got to be one of the most manipulative labels there is: don't do behavior x or .... I was born with a uterus, so I qualify . I love what Naomi Wolf said about it: "Femininity equals femaleness plus whatever they're selling."

[Dastard Stepchild]

29. swearing!

I don't know where I picked up my trucker's mouth, but I've cultivated it to a thing of supreme filth over the years. I hate when someone says it is "beneath me" as a woman. Fuck off. :)

[idgiehkt]

76. oh, honey

I have the best joke for you. I heard Adele Givens tell this on the Queens of Comedy show.
People were complaining about her profanity in her act so she went to her grandmother (who was in her nineties at the time) and told her she was thinking about quitting comedy because of it, someone had told her after a show she had a 'filthy mouth'. Her grandmother told her to quit only if SHE wanted to, not because of anyone else, and then her grandmother said, "Listen, when they say that to you, you tell them 'It ain't what comes out of your mouth that makes it filthy, it's what goes into it', and then you tell them that you wash every dick you suck."

one of my favorite jokes of all time.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Dastard Stepchild]

100. lol...

That's really funny. I have every intention of being even more foulmouthed when I am an old lady. Because swearing and wrinkles? Totally awesome!

[susanna]

91. I'm showing this post to my husband.

I think he's sometimes astounded at the blue streak I can summon when the occasion warrants it. Or, truth be told, even when it doesn't. Not sure where I picked that up; the "ladies" in my family don't swear. Ah well, it's nice to be an original. ;-)

on edit: quotes 'round "ladies." Because I'm not sure what it really means, considering.

[Dastard Stepchild]

103. :)

My husband giggles about it for the most part, unless I am in public, and then he worries that people are going to think ill of me. Meh.... if you can't hear the word "shit" without fainting, we weren't meant to be friends anyhow. I have become more aware of swearing in front of kiddies, though, since some of my friends now have kids and I have to be mindful of what I am saying in their presence. :)

[bleedingheart]

25. I am here!

you know what I hate...

That I am viewed as bitchy and opinionated until....the people who think that need me to represent them or want my help.

I can't tell you the number of times I have been "told" about my being an opinionated woman...and then been invited to a party or an event because they want someone like me around.

[idgiehkt]

42. Oh yeah

I can relate. :hi:

[susanna]

97. Oh yeah.

It's the price you pay. Friends start saying, "well, you're strong, so can you help me with (a,b,c)?"

I used to feel put upon, but in the reflection of not too few years, I see they might really need an advocate. So now I find myself honored by it. I could do worse, I guess.

[Shine]

27. I am definitely assertive and can be an out-right bitch if the need arises

:D

testify!

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

43. can I get a witness?

:woohoo:

I tend to keep very little inside emotionally, and really don't understand people that do. Where on earth do they put it?

[wildhorses]

28. how about insubordinate?

because my opinion has not always followed the status quo or, specifically that of a boss or two?

how dare i voice an opinion...


and hell...


i 'thought' i lived in america...


:shrug:


fuck 'em!! in the end, i always win;)

[idgiehkt]

44. yes, child!

I have been written up on jobs for 'insubordination' more times than I care to admit.

:rofl:

[KitchenWitch]

30. I just got called a bitch last week by a total stranger!

:7

[Starbucks Anarchist]

39. I'm not a stranger!

:P

[idgiehkt]

45. ooh, you big meanie

I know what Kitchen Witch means, I did too, at the gas station because I was slow moving my car. It just made me sit there that much longer, until he finally pulled off and went to another pump. Don't call me a bitch and expect me not to represent, lol.

[KitchenWitch]

46. True!

But you did not call me a bitch either!

:P

[NC_Nurse]

31. Iconoclast.

I've been called that. ;)

[idgiehkt]

48. I like it

That is a great compliment, you should be proud. Honestly I bet we all are, they just call us bitches because we don't do what they want, or do what they don't want. :hi:

[Katherine Brengle]

32. Bitchy, opinionated, unapologetic, always right.

Nice to meet ya.

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

49. god, I feel so much less alone after reading this thread

I really, honest to god, think there ought to be support groups for bitches. Not Bitches Anonymous, but Bitches Loud 'n' Proud or something. Because if you are female and have self-will and opinions in this society you are sometimes, many times, made to feel like a freak, or like you have an extra part you aren't supposed to have or something. :hi:

[hippywife]

33. Ummm...

it's been known to happen. :rofl:

Hiya, idgie! :hi:

[idgiehkt]

50. I hear ya

same here. and the older I get, the more it happens. :shrug:

:rofl:

[Nicole]

34. Does brutally honest count?

If so then I'm in. I've been told I'm brutally honest all my adult life. :rofl:

[idgiehkt]

53. yes

me too, sometimes even to my own detriment, where it can be used against me and where people run around behind the scenes saying I am crazy and that the reason they break my confidences is so they can get someone on the internet whom I have never met and have no knowledge of and who as far as I know has no formal training to give me psychiatric counseling just on the basis of the fact that they think that person is nice and cute...but I digress.

:rofl:

[RevolutionaryActs]

35. Yoho!

:patriot:

[idgiehkt]

54. Yes, Rev is in the Hizzouse

Howdy girlfriend.

Now would be a good time to post our theme song

Missy Elliot - She's a Bitch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kxl3RtKM-Q

:woohoo:

[RevolutionaryActs]

60. Perfect!

:bounce:


And you wouldn't know it so much by my posts here, but I am highly opinionated and argumentative. I like to argue face to face. }(

[idgiehkt]

63. that is much tougher

and takes more courage than internet debating.

Face to face I can debate, but I totally shut down emotionally and go for the jugular. Most people do not know how to handle it (or me) at all so I only rarely do it in person, because it offends most people. On the internet it's expected, and it seems like people have a lot thicker skin.

[RevolutionaryActs]

66. I know.

I am not allowed to say ANYTHING remotely political around the fiance of my moms friend, or else bad things would happen. O8)

[Kali]

36. yo

:toast:

[idgiehkt]

55. One More Sista!!

:woohoo:

:hi:

[BarenakedLady]

40. Alas, I am not

Though it does depend on the situation and who I am talking to. I'm very shy, so I don't get into arguments, debates, etc to people I don't know. I'm working on it though. :) You gals will have to train me. hehehe.

:hi:

[idgiehkt]

57. Naw, baby.

You are, and I have seen it with my own eyes. You may have a much more subtle nature, but you have delivered one of the best coups de grace I have ever seen in my life, and thinking about that has gotten me through a lot of tough times in the last few weeks. I bow before your greatness!. :)

:loveya: :hi:

[sandnsea]

41. hehe

More on DU than anywhere else actually. But yeah, that and dependable, reliable, responsible, sensible, and all those other things that mean doesn't kiss male ass. :hi:

[idgiehkt]

58. I can attest to this

you are one tough chica.

:toast:

[susanna]

47. I choose the label "assertive."

My male relatives choose the label "pain in the ass, but you can't put one over on her."

You decide which one is more flattering. ;-)

[idgiehkt]

59. could be either, depending on my mood.

good on ya! :toast:

[susanna]

90. Exactly.

I don't really care what they say, truth be told. I suppose that makes me even more annoying.

...and right back at ya! :toast:

On edit: them smilies mess me up

[CaliforniaPeggy]

51. Checking in!

I am normally polite and nice.......

But if the occasion calls for it, I can be very loud and aggressive....

No shrinking violet here!

I am proud to be a member of this distinguished group!

:patriot:

[idgiehkt]

61. I think also you are another one like Barenaked Lady

You can do that very subtle, very dignified kind of...I don't know what it is, but it is very effective, just not outwardly agressive. :toast:

[w8liftinglady]

52. I am a powerlifter,a liberal,and have had 65 LTTE printed in my local paper

people generally don't f*ck with me...I bench 255.
My latest(printed 2/7)
http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2007/02/07/dailylight/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter6.txt


To the Editor,

This is an open letter to Republican Senators:

While you were playing political games with a non-binding resolution, eight more servicemen were killed-bringing the total of servicemen killed to 3,101. I hold you responsible for their deaths. While you bickered, more servicemen were maimed and wounded, bringing the number of amputees to over 500 — I hold you responsible for their disability. While you refused to go on the record with your opinion — and the opinions of your constituents — more families received that late night phone call or that knock on the door, confirming what a parent fears most. I hold you personally responsible for the grief these families endure — so that you can do more posturing for the camera. While you stalled and wasted my tax dollars, thousands of soldiers and Marines are looking at their third and fourth tour in a war zone, many of them staring down a bottle or the barrel of a gun. I hold you responsible for the trauma they will endure for years to come — trauma you, who have never served, will never know. While you stalled and hemmed and hawed, thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women and children were killed and wounded. I hold you responsible for the hatred that all Iraqis now have for America. The results of the 2006 elections have given you a mandate, Republicans. Your constituents do not want this insane war. We are tired of seeing our troops abused for your political and financial gain. 2008 will be here soon enough. Do the right thing for once in your political career. It’s what we the people elected you for.

[bridgit]

62. i defer, you're not like Rosie O'Donnell though...

imo you actually have something to say :thumbsup:

[idgiehkt]

64. wow, you could bench me and bridgit both I bet

You go girl!

Great LTTE too!

:toast:

[w8liftinglady]

67. lol..I only bench press Freeper wimps who refuse to think for themselves...

[bridgit]

56. pft, bugger off...

:rofl:

[idgiehkt]

65. that's the spirit!!

:toast: :woohoo:

:bounce:

[SPKrazy]

68. Strong Women Rawk!

:loveya:

[idgiehkt]

71. you rawk too!!

:loveya:

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

72. ...

;)

:loveya:

[w8liftinglady]

69. this is actually an interesting thread

I refuse to allow myself to be placed in some neat little category.Women are frequently viewed as problems or argumentative if they dare offer an opinion that violates the status quo.I refuse to allow my opinions to be dictated by some male-generated set of rules.Fortunately,my(male) partner appreciates these values,and supports my outspoken ways

[idgiehkt]

70. does he have a brother?

LOL. :)

that is great. I think it's tough to find a man like that, really.

[amitten]

73. Yeah, I'm a feisty one. Take it or leave it. n/t

[idgiehkt]

77. taken

the sisterhood has another member!

:loveya:

[Skittles]

78. ME, ME idgiehkt

HERE I AM !!! :hi:

[idgiehkt]

79. Oh Hell Yes!

Now the circle is complete!!!

:toast:

:woohoo:

[EFerrari]

80. When I started junior college at 16, my mom saw my copy of

"Sisterhood is Powerful" and asked why I was bringing that Lesbian stuff home.

She went back to school later the same year. And then I was getting lectures about being oppressed.

:rofl:

MY MOM -- who was never one to take up an idea and just stroll with it. :evilgrin:

(Hmmm. I can't find a graphic of that book cover but this is a variation.)



And Rosie, telling Junior to cheney off in language he can understand. 73 and rocking, baby.

[idgiehkt]

81. Robin Morgan, wasn't it?

I've read it but it's been years. Man, I needs to get back in touch with my roots.

:toast:

[EFerrari]

86. Robin Morgan. Just in time to save me from becoming a bubblehead.

:toast:

[mentalsolstice]

82. My spouse knows I'm right! OTH, my dad...

My dad recently said "I'm your father, I've led a respectable life, and you should listen to me..." Mind you, I'm 46 years old. This is the man who encouraged me to go to law school. Which I did, and spent some really yucky years at some really yucky jobs paying for it. In this same conversation (well after I've paid my school debt) he said there was no way in hell he would vote for Hillary Clinton. No he never liked Bill. However, he said he would not support any female candidate for president. That was just a fact, and us women just needed to get over it! I was shocked...however, I had to my mom up. She's the one who had the stable job with a pension and good health insurance. When he made that statement, I practically had to do CPR on her...

Awww...it's wonderful having elderly parents, and wondering if they're going to kill one another...

[idgiehkt]

83. LOL

"Awww...it's wonderful having elderly parents, and wondering if they're going to kill one another..."

uh-oh, I bet it will be thus with me as well.

:hi:

[mentalsolstice]

84. Oh yes...

You realize you're an adult when you referee your parents' arguments! Just a weekend with my parents will absolutely wear down my spouse and I. Afterward, we have to go to opposite corners, for awhile, just to get our heads back around this whole commitment thing! And we've been together 16 years!

[CC]

88. Count me in.

and not changing a thing.

[idgiehkt]

89. Hi CC!

I thank you, and the ferrets thank you. :hi:

:toast:

[xmas74]

92. I'm a bitch.

Just ask my ex, a few former teachers, female coworkers, family members and any number of former employers. They'd gladly confirm.

[idgiehkt]

101. Say it loud and proud, girlfriend!

Usually when you are called that it means you are doing something just right!

:toast:

[xmas74]

107. That's always been my theory.

If someone is calling me a bitch I must be standing up for myself and for others (my youth and some of my work experiences), I am probably trying to follow the written laws of the land (former employers) and I probably didn't feel like getting smacked around that night (the ex).

I wear "bitch" as a badge of honor. I hope my daughter will do the same someday.

[susanna]

93. Y'know, idgiekt, kudos to you.

This is one of the best threads I've read in a while. I've been LOL at most of these posts. It's nice to see. Well done!

:yourock:

on edit: smilies just get me everytime

[idgiehkt]

102. you are welcome

and thanks for adding to the sisterhood!

:headbang:

[Cabcere]

96. You know what pisses me off?

What pisses me off is when I (or any other woman) am legitimately angry about something, and trying to express my anger, and people don't take me seriously because I'm a woman and they assume I must just be PMSing - because, of course, women don't have the logical capacity to know what they should be angry about, since we're are just walking bundles of hormones who get irritated for no rational reason at all. :banghead: :grr: I'm generally a pretty soft-spoken person, and I usually try to be the peacemaker...but if something upsets me enough, you're going to hear about it in no uncertain terms. I think this quote pretty much sums it up:

"Tough girls come from New York, sweet girls, they're from Georgia. But us Virginia girls we have fire and ice in our blood. We can ride horses, be a debutante, throw left hooks, and drink with the boys, all the while making sweet tea, darlin'. And if we have an opinion, you know you're gonna hear it." - Ashley Judd

:headbang: :toast:

I'm not naive enough (or self-centered enough!) to believe that only applies to Virginians, of course. In some ways I believe all the wonderful women here exhibit those qualities! And I love ya for it. :hug: :hi:

[idgiehkt]

104. lol

I went to college with a lot of georgia girls, and I can vouch for the fact that they are sweet that way. I also grew up in Virginia, so maybe that explains my bitchiness.




On the subject of what pisses us off, what pisses me off is weak women who will believe anything a man says about another woman just because they themselves have designs on getting in his pants. I have to admit I think that part of the reason we remain second-class in so many ways is that our weaker-willed sisters sell us down the river so many times. Harrumph. :(

But anyway, thanks for that vent; it would probably do us all a world of good to sit around and let it all out. :)

:hi: :loveya:

[alarimer]

98. I wish I was

I too have an opinion for every occasion but I am not bold enough to voice them a lot of the time. I do okay on here but in real life, not so much. I have a hard time even standing up for myself and when I do I feel like crap. So I guess I could learn a thing or two from you all.

[idgiehkt]

105. bitch-in-training then, lol

you probably have more of it than you know. Inside every woman there is an inner bitch waiting to be let out, lol! :hi:

[susanna]

112. Ain't that the truth! n/t

[susanna]

113. I was that way at one point in my life.

Then I realized no one seemed to care what I thought, so why did I care what they thought? That was a pretty liberating thing, and essentially responsible for unleashing my true self. I am sure there are many people out there who wish I had never figured that out to begin with, which is exactly why I pass it on to most of the women I meet. ;-)

[omega minimo]

99. o

[idgiehkt]

106. kay

:hi:

[LostinVA]

108. I started the DU UPPITY Women's Club, remember

And Male Auxiliary.

[idgiehkt]

110. What's the secret password?

I want to get uppity!

:hi: :loveya:

[smtpgirl]

114. I am definitely one of those women

opinionated, strong-willed, tenacious and surly were words that described me.

Just don't like people who beat around the bush, hem & haw and can't make a decision.

It is what it is, that's all, nothing more, nothing less.

Too bad men can't do that. I work in the male dominated field of IT, were women really don't have an opinion or a stance. Just shut up & do your work, wow, real drones there.