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There’s a new trend in TV that many will consider decidedly un-PC. However, those days could be numbered. While HBO is mostly responsible for this transformation, cable TV shows are jumping on the trend as well. The trend isn’t fashion, but it is fierce: it’s a very liberal use of the C-word.
That’s right, characters are letting the C-word fly out of their mouths without a care in the world. For HBO, this makes sense. They don’t have a care, or an advertiser, that might object to one of the foulest words in the English language. However, it’s also popped up on episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (bleeped) and Mr. Robot (not bleeped).
On RHOBH, last season’s rookie, Erika Girardi, shook up the cast with her poofy blonde hair, pink heels, and what some of the ladies considered to be a potty mouth. However, Erika used the word in more of a fun, flirty way. One might say, she even used it in an empowering way. It’s a compliment to be c-nty! It means you’re not taking no for an answer, and you’re getting what you want. Some of the women were shocked and uncomfortable, which is to be expected, especially with that bunch. But at the very least, it started a conversation about the word and its usage.
In the case of Mr. Robot, a show that routinely bleeps swear words out of its episodes, especially throughout its second season so far, it was rather shocking to hear Darlene (Carly Chaikin) say, “I don’t mean that in a cunty way.” It is 100% true to who the character is. Of course she would use that word to describe a retort she made to her brother, Elliot (Rami Malek). What was surprising, was that USA let it fly. Shall we just chalk this one up to yet another example of a boundary this groundbreaking show is pushing each week?
Now, HBO shows are another case entirely. When the word tumbles out of Danny McBride’s mouth on Vice Principals, most viewers probably didn’t even blink an eye. Of course this is a character who would use that word repeatedly, and those around him (and watching him from home) would expect it. Plus, it’s HBO. It’s a perk of the channel to hear blue language, as John Oliver has demonstrated on Last Week Tonight whenever he is frustrated by a story (i.e., every week).
Silicon Valley took a more cautious approach to the word, with a female character using it several times like it was NBD, and the already awkward male characters growing increasingly more awkward every time it came out of her mouth. The word was used as a nickname, and not as a derogatory term, and yet it still gave them an uneasy feeling. Both the excessive use and the characters’ confusion about how to handle the situation helped to create the comedy around the use of the C-word.
The most blatant and proudest show to use the expression is Veep. Hearing “cunt” come out of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ mouth is almost like a beautiful song. It’s just so pleasant to hear someone playing the leader of the free world use the word so pointedly, really. It’s hard to imagine a time when this word wasn’t front and center in Selina Meyer’s lexicon, but hearing almost every member of her staff reiterate the word, really elevates the joy it delivers to viewers. During its fifth and most recent season, Meyer instructs Amy (Anna Chlumsky) to find out which staff member called her the C-word. Spoiler alert: it was almost everyone on the payroll. Oh, and the name of this episode? “C**tgate.”
The best part of Veep’s give-no-effs use of the C-word is that it is helping to make it commonplace outside of our screens. We’re living in the height of feminism; is this normally slanderous-towards-females word something that we can now say with reckless abandon? Are men allowed to say it or does the stigma remain for them? Does it still carry with it the sting of an insult, or are we moving towards using it in the same fashion that Brits do, in more of a cheeky manner? Because let’s be honest, the C-word might sound rough, but it’s not nearly as gross as the P-word.
The distinction should also be made on whether the C-word is being used as a noun or as an adjective. “C-nt” is a harsher form, a clear cuss, and term a person would use to be mean to someone. But add the –y to the end, and it softens it. Being “c-nty” is a little sillier, more accepted way to use the term, and can be interchangeable with “bitchy”. Kind of like when women call each other “sluts”, but with more respect.
Either way it’s used, it’s proof that while the scope of television continues to change, the content does too. There are more places like Netflix and Hulu where advertisers don’t have to be considered when it comes to the vocabulary used by characters. It is still unclear if the C-word is simply becoming more popular in our everyday lives and that is being reflected on-screen, or vice versa. Either way, this is the time to put the C-word in your mouth, swish it around a little bit, and see how it feels. It might get you in trouble with some people, and it could earn you a heap of respect from others. Just know, the next time you hear the word, you don’t have to be a c-nt about it.
