“Get Away From Her, You Bitch!”
Language and feminism in the Alien franchise
Ripley appears in the exosuit, ready to fight, in Aliens
Ok, ok, you get it – Alien and Aliens are feminist as hell. I’ve only done two podcasts and a whole separate blog post about it. Move on, Steph.
I will, I promise! …After I say this one last thing.
One thing I keep coming back to as I think about this series is its use of the word “bitch” as the go-to insult. It seems weird, right? It’s such a gendered term. Why does it keep popping up in powerful moments in the first two movies? I have a few theories.
Reclaiming language
In a deleted scene in the first movie, the other female crew member, Lambert, calls our protagonist Ripley a bitch for not immediately letting her, Captain Dallas and the infected Kane back on the Nostromo after their ill-fated exploratory trip to the crashed ship. This is the traditional use of the word – we see bitch used most often – outside of dog breeding contexts, I guess – as a derogatory term for assertive women.
But by the end of the movie, Ripley is using it against MU/TH/UR as she’s trying to stop the ship from self-destructing with her and Jonesy on board. She uses it again in the famous line at the end of the second movie, warning the Queen Xenomorph away from Newt.
And in this context, Ripley's use of the word flips the script. She's engaging in a form of linguistic reclamation, making bitch a tool of empowerment and transforming a misogynistic insult into an assertion of her own strength and determination.
Women vs. women
It's crucial to note that in the Alien franchise (in the first two movies at least – again, I refuse to see Alien 3 or Alien: Resurrection. Why mess with perfection?), bitch is exclusively used by women against other female or female-coded characters.
This specific usage adds another layer of complexity to the term's presence in the films. By restricting the use of a gendered insult to female characters, the word changes from a tool for men to put down women and becomes a tool wielded within a female power dynamic. It’s another way the movies underscore the conflicts and tensions between different forms of feminine power.
The Alien franchise is all about the monstrous-feminine – the idea that something about being female is alien and frightening. By having Ripley confront these monstrous female entities with such charged language, the films create a dialogue about female power in all its forms, from nurturing to destructive.
When Ripley confronts the Xenomorph Queen, we're witnessing a clash between two formidable female entities. Bitch, in this context, reminds us of the gendered nature of their conflict while simultaneously challenging the notion that female power is something to be feared or reviled.
A new kind of action hero
Aliens’ final battle scene is iconic for a reason. There’s Ripley, badass in her exosuit, angry, strong, and female. In any other context, misogynists afraid of her power might call her the bitch.
But as we discussed in the Aliens episode, Ripley shows us that female strength – “being a bitch” – isn't one-dimensional. It can encompass both nurturing, motherly instincts and aggressive, confrontational aspects.
And in a genre often dominated by male heroes and masculine expressions of strength, Ripley's character, and her language, stand out. Her use of the word bitch isn't just shocking for shock's sake: It's a statement. It declares that she can occupy traditionally masculine spaces and use masculine-coded language without losing her identity as a woman or her status as a hero.
In space, no one can hear you scream. So you might as well say whatever the fuck makes you feel most powerful.
Paranormal Pajama Party will be back with an all-new season soon. In the meantime, catch up on the full back catalogue here. Don’t forget to subscribe, and tell your friends about the show… or else.
Sources
Cameron, J. (1986). Aliens. Twentieth Century Fox.
Christian, A. (2017). Is Ellen Ripley a feminist? In W. Irwin, J. A. Ewing, & K. S. Decker (Eds.), Alien and Philosophy: I Infest, Therefore I Am (1st ed., pp. 166–177). John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
Creed, B. (1986). Horror and the monstrous-feminine: An imaginary abjection. Screen, 27(1), 44–71
Scott, R. (Director). (1979). Alien. Twentieth Century Fox.
