KEY POINTS:
Being a bitch is a tricky business. Bitching is confusing because it's only funny when it's cruel. It can be a social necessity and a bonding tool. But it easily oversteps the mark into verbal violence. Figes' funny, intelligent book steps right into this timely problem. Bitching at its best, she explains, is an art form. Take Margot Asquith's retort to Jean Harlow, who kept mispronouncing her name: "My dear, the 't' is silent, as in Harlow."
At its worst, though, bitching is malicious without being amusing and makes its originator look stupid, jealous or just plain nasty.
Bitching is, of course, a feminist issue. Men bitch and behave like bitches - but when they do it, it's called sarcasm, wit or self-assertion.
This, explains Figes, is a modern invention: the word dates from the 14th century, but only in the 20th century, as women gained more power and influence, did it come into frequent, general use, meaning "a malicious, treacherous or unpleasant woman".
Figes argues persuasively in her introduction that there has never been a better time to take bitching seriously. Cattiness, she argues, is increasingly part of popular culture, and celebrity culture in particular.
There are social, biological and evolutionary reasons for bitching: when women are at their most fertile, they are apparently also at their nastiest, pointing out the deficiencies of rivals.
There is some serious examination here of why nastiness has its place, but it doesn't get too much in the way of what I suspect most readers will come here for: some good bitching. There is an excellent chapter on feminist spats.
Obviously there is chapter and verse on Joan Crawford and Bette Davis (Davis on Crawford: "She slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie"; Crawford on Davis: "Poor Bette. It appears she's never had a happy day - or night - in her life").
Then suddenly, the book becomes a manual for teenagers, not grown-up bitches. This gives Figes a chance to lay into the more modern, low-rent quips which will appeal to the reality TV generation. There are interviews here with teenage girls about how and why they bitch, plus advice on what to do if you feel bullied and/or drawn into bitching. This gives the book a mixed-up feeling: a history of bitching, a self-help manual and an academic analysis all at once, but somehow it succeeds.
* Published by Virago
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