C_U_N_T, 2022, cotton thread, 7x11”.

Female associate expletives, used as derogatory insults by many, can also be equally empowering. Because it references a vagina, the term cunt is often regarded as the most forbidden curse word in American society. However, in the feminist classic Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio, the term is reclaimed as one of power and resilience.

In this series, Such a Cunt, I am crocheting swear words negatively associated with women into frilly white patterns. The rudeness of these terms is shocking against the hyper-feminine and dated medium of filet crochet. By re-imagining a technique used by housewives of the past to make doilies, placemats, bedsheets, and other decorative domestic items, I am creating complex conceptual works of art which further blur the lines of gendering in our society.

S_L_U_T, 2022, cotton thread, 9x11”

It once was an insult to call a woman a slut. Referring to one perceived as promiscuous and unclean, this expletive has been used almost exclusively towards women. Sluts were seen as manipulative, careless, immoral, and certainly not to be trusted.

On the contrary, in recent times slut is often used by all genders who willingly choose to embrace their sexual agency. Whether it be rejecting the norms of monogamous society, or engaging in alternative expressions such as BDSM, sluts are empowered and independent sexual beings.

B_I_T_C_H, 2023, cotton thread, 7.5x11”

Bitch is a term often used to degrade women seen as too aggressive, dominant, opinionated, or independent from men. The historical use of the derogatory term is associated with a female dog in heat, used to describe women whose open sexuality did not conform to strict Victorian standards.

Recently, bitch has been reclaimed by feminists to signify a women who is confident and assertive. In popular culture, the term bad bitch is one that is indeed empowering. Describing a women who is attractive, self-assured, and powerful, the new use of the term is an example of how behaving like a bitch is considered a positive attribute.