How would you feel if someone called you a BadAss?

Is calling a woman a BadAss a compliment or an insult?

Marvel comics sexasized BadAss females by giving them super-duper
physical powers and bodies men fantasize about.  They could fly
through the air, kick butt, spill blood, and destroy armies of
mutants.

You have any friends like that?

A woman who’s courageous, independent, assertive, and never lets
anything stop her from reaching her goal is often called a BadAss.

Men with the same qualities aren’t called a BadAss. They’re usually
called a CEO, CFO, or a business genius.

I don’t fit either category. No man is going to fantasize about my body
these days and I don’t even like to fly in an airplane. I’d take a bullet
to protect someone I loved, but when it comes to having courage to
stand up for myself, I’m a wimp.  

It’s hard for women, especially older women, to have the courage even
to say what they think and do what they want. We were brought up
to be “nice.”

When I was young, I never thought about breaking rules, flying through
the air, dressing like a dominatrix, or having courage. I was a wife and mother. My generation of women was just supposed to look pretty, be helpful, and shut up.

Most men have every-day courage. They weren’t brought up to spend
their life being nice so everyone would like them. They’re comfortable complaining.

I remember once when I ordered a dish of Moo Shoo pork in Chinatown
and it came with a huge black bug I didn’t order crawling around in it.
The waiter said he’d bring me another plate. My husband made a big
fuss, took my hand and led me out without paying. I wouldn’t have had
the courage to do that. And not even leave a tip!

Yet even when I was growing up, there were some women who had
the courage to stand up to every idiot in power.

Eleanor Roosevelt was one. Despite being hated by so many and called
the worst names, she never stopped working for civil rights, racial justice,
and world peace. Her courage gave women a new voice. But who remembers Eleanor Roosevelt besides Hillary Clinton?

“A woman is like a tea bag. You don’t 
know how strong she is until she gets 
into hot water.” 
Eleanor Roosevelt

And there was Mae West, a sexual goddess. It’s said her hourglass shape inspired the shape of the Coca-Cola bottle. She was a twin of Eleanor only in courage, not looks. Her double entendres made fun of the conservative mores of the time causing havoc with the censors, yet making her the second highest paid person in the U.S.

“Well behaved women do not
make history.” 
Mae West

To sum it all up, anyone who calls a dynamic woman
a BadAss is a Jackass.

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