BITCH IS THE SHIT!

What is Bitch Media?

"B-Word Worldwide, doing business as Bitch Media, is the nonprofit organization best known for publishing the magazine Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture. Bitch Media’s mission is to provide and encourage an empowered, feminist response to mainstream media and popular culture.

We seek to be a fresh, revitalizing voice in contemporary feminism, one that welcomes complex arguments and refuses to ignore the contradictory and often uncomfortable realities of life in an unequivocally gendered world. We seek to forge connections between the messages we get through the media and pop culture and the commercial agendas of the corporations behind them, and we hope to foment an ongoing dialogue for readers that continues beyond the pages of the magazine and the website, which hosts blogs and podcasts.

Bitch has a diverse audience, which keeps the dialogue and the movement we’re a part of dynamic and strong. But Bitch is also uniquely situated to draw in young readers who are at a critical moment in their lives—a moment when they are discovering feminism and activism, finding answers to who they are, and questioning the definitions of gender, sexuality, power and agency prescribed by the mainstream media. Bitch not only plays a role in exploring these topics, it also provides a toolkit for engaging in analysis that promotes activism and impels social change."

Bitch. What an appropriate name. It is a huge pleasure/happiness of mine when I see women and feminists (of both fair sexes) take back a name that was originally meant to degrade and turn it into a symbol of strength. Much like the fabulously titled Ax Wound Zine, by the horror feminist and close friend, Hannah Neurotica, but more in a moment. Firstly, why did this company pick such a name? Some might argue that the name alone will keep some from reading. What does Bitch say about it?

"For as long as we’ve been publishing Bitch, there’s one question that gets asked over and over. And over. “Why did you choose that word as the name of your magazine?” While we’re aware that the magazine’s title, and the organization’s name, is off-putting to some people, we think it’s worth it. And here’s why.
The writer Rebecca West said, “People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” We’d argue that the word “bitch” is usually deployed for the same purpose. When it’s being used as an insult, “bitch” is an epithet hurled at women who speak their minds, who have opinions and don’t shy away from expressing them, and who don’t sit by and smile uncomfortably if they’re bothered or offended. If being an outspoken woman means being a bitch, we’ll take that as a compliment.
We know that not everyone’s down with the term. Believe us, we’ve heard all about it. But we stand firm in our belief that if we choose to reappropriate the word, it loses its power to hurt us. And if we can get people thinking about what they’re saying when they use the word, that’s even better.
Bitch. It’s a noun. It’s a verb. It’s a magazine. It’s a feminist media organization."

Today an article written by Hannah Neurotica graces Bitch entitled: Horror Show: Women Horror Directors to Watch. It is an extreme honor that Jen and myself were included in this list of female directors to watch. Hannah through her multiple publications, writings, podcasts, and being the founder of Women in Horror Month has introduced me to so many great female talents. This article also discusses 'The Commune' director and Bleedfest Film Festival director, Elisabeth Fies. The article also introduces readers to Amy Lynn Best - cofounder of the former Pretty/Scary now Fangirltastic and director of 'Severe Injuries', 'Splatter Movie', 'Spicy Sister Slumber Party', and Tiffany D. Jackson - director of 'The Field Trip' and webseries 'So I Married A Vampire'. Do read up on the fabulous hard work these ladies have done to obtain very little girl's dream - becoming a horror director with fucking sweet flicks!

Definitely go and check the full article out here. For those of you hungry for any delicious morsel --

"As little girls, Jen & Sylvia started acting and modeling, but as they got older they realized that identical female twins have limited options when it comes to film roles. As Sylvia puts it, “The roles got more and more repetitive—hot twin bikini girls, hot twin sorority girls, hot twin aliens…” With a desire to have more options, the multitalented sisters decided to venture into stunt work. And as they learned how to kick ass, they also jumped into launching Twisted Twins Productions and writing, producing, directing, and starring in their first feature."

For those of you, boys and girls, that are reading and love this zine and want to do more - you can. Bitch has been going strong for 14 years thanks to subscribers, donors, and contributors. Buy a zine, pass it along to your friends, or make a donation. Every bit helps keeping this a witty, smart, and thought-provoking feminist critique and analysis of pop culture alive!

~Sylv