Leave our vaginas alone!

• Posted on November 21, 2014November 21, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

[pyoo-suh–lan–uh-muh s]

(Adjective)

1.Lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.

2.Proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

Origin:

pusillanimis (Latin) – petty-spirited

Equivalent to Latin pusill(us) very small, petty + -anim(is) -spirited, -minded (anim(us) spirit + -is adj. suffix); see -ous

Pusillanimous. This is a word sent from the gods through Dictionary.com. Try saying it. Take your sweet time. See how it rolls off your tongue with such ease, as though it loves and cannot have enough of how your tongue caresses it?

Pu-si-lla-ni-mous.

Bliss.

How many times have you heard the term ‘don’t be a pussy’ thrown around? How many times has it been used to address men? Women? I certainly have had some people use it with me and needless to say, I had smoke coming out of my ears the same way the most skilled smoker churns out weirdly shaped smoke-beings from his/her mouth or nose.

Now, however, my mind has been instructed to automatically assume that the term ‘pussy’ is used just because pusillanimous is too long. Bliss. Get it?

For years, the term ‘don’t be a pussy’ has been used to imply cowardice, weakness, close-mindedness and generally being a push-over. It is used by both men and women to describe in particular, men who don’t ‘cut it’ in the Alphadom – men who have developed and show symptoms of “being women”.

“Why do you assume it has anything to do with women?” “Why can it not just be a word used to imply cowardice?”

Here’s why:

‘Pussy’ is a well-known jargon for the female sexual organ. It is “perhaps from Old Norse puss ‘pocket, pouch’ (compare Low German puse which translates to vulva).” It could also be linked to cats “on the notion of ‘soft, warm, furry thing’ (compare French le chat, which could mean either a cat or genital). It also was used as a term of endearment for a girl or woman from the 1580s as per the OnlineEtymology Dictionary.

No, I did not make these up.  Yes, this is a grammar lesson.

“Okay so you’ve thrown in a few foreign words but there still isn’t proof that it is a term used to degrade men seen as weak or feminine”

*sigh*

Oxford Dictionaries defines the word ‘pussy’, under sub-section (2.2) of section (2) as “a weak, cowardly or effeminate man”. Note that this definition is grouped with the definitions “A woman’s genitals” and “Women in general, considered sexually”. The definition as a weak man is thus seen as intrinsically related to “the sexual part of women”.

Now, ‘pussy’ in and of itself is not a terrible word. I even like it. Much shorter than vagina and reminiscent of soft, warm furry beings (which they are). It is the value accorded it that riles me up. How in heavens did pussy (aka vagina) become the equivalent of cowardice and weakness? Where from underneath the deepest darkest parts of the earth was this unearthed? My brain refuses to wrap itself around the concept. Have you any idea the powers vaginas possess?

It is self-cleaning. Self-cleaning. I cannot even begin to explain to you how amazing this is. It controls its own pH levels. The vagina is so self-sufficient that the only thing you need to do to keep it refreshed is to use water. And maybe unscented soap. Assuming you bath twice a day it is inevitable that your vagina will come into contact with water. Use it.

The vagina serves as a channel. Think Suez Canal. Menstrual flow is channelled through the vagina, getting rid of blood and pieces of mucosal tissue that come with the shedding of the uterus lining in menstrual cycles. This, for one is a sign of relief for many signifying that one is not pregnant. The vagina is a life saver I tell you, bringing relief to all those concerned.

It also is the pathway into our world for babies. It is the gateway, the opening that tells babies, “Here! Some fresh air and the opportunity to actually taste food and hear beautiful sounds and see amazing things beyond the sac of liquid you’ve known”. How amazing is that?

What can allow a 10-plus-pound baby through it and still go back to normal?

You got it! The precious coochie. The vagina. The Pussy.

“But other things can allow ten-pound—“

That’s not the point. The point is the vagina never ceases to amaze us.

Speaking of expansion,

Sex. This is one of the three forces that run the world. What’s the name of the one master and manipulator of sex? The vagina. During sexual arousal, vaginal moisture increases by way of vaginal lubrication to reduce friction and allow for smoother penetration during sexual activity. The texture of the vaginal walls can create friction for the penis during sexual intercourse and stimulate it toward ejaculation. Such brawn. Such strength.

Have you ever wondered how it seems so shallow when you insert a tampon but can still fit a well-endowed man? There is such a thing as the tenting effect. Performed by the vagina. With continued arousal, the inner two-thirds of the vagina increase both in length and width creating the tenting effect. When unexcited its walls touch (almost like a collapsed tube). At the same time there is a color change from the usual red to deep purple that even becomes darker. Don’t ask me, ask Dr.Khaled. Did you get that? It changes color while at the same time expanding. Whoa.

Finally, the term vagina is from the Latin word v?g?nae which literally means scabbard which is basically a sheath for holding a knife, sword or other large blade.

The vagina is such a strong, beautiful and versatile work of art that to assign it the traits of weakness and cowardice is grossly disrespectful. It is insulting to both women and men to be labelled by one word which denigrates their very being.

We cannot blame any one person for the broad acceptance of the use of this term. Language is a weapon, a tool. One which is designed and used to empower and dis-empower, to show dominance and subservience regardless of whether or not we want to accept it. Perception exists in the mind whether you want it to be or not. It matters not if ‘pussy’ is a truncation of pusillanimous, to use the term in a manner that shows disregard for the female sexuality will always ruffle feathers and disrupt balance.

For crying out loud, if you want to call someone a coward, the world has provided a word that sounds uncannily like pussy – pusillanimous. Use it and leave our vaginas alone!

By Jessica Boifio