It’s time to stop calling girls ‘crazy’

It probably wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that almost every woman out there has been referred to as ‘crazy’ by a guy at least once in their lives. Calling women crazy has been around since the dawn of time. In fact, back in the day the word “hysteria” came from a genuine medical condition thought to be specific to women and caused by disturbances of the uterus and ‘sexual dysfunction’. Ew.

Now it’s 2016, and the world has moved on from Freud and female hysteria, and some historians even believe that this hysteria was actually PTSD caused by domestic abuse. Yet, this idea that women have some precondition to be ‘crazy’ still lingers, and is undoubtedly thriving as the last taboo of misogyny. It’s the new, socially-acceptable, slut calling – the go-to for men who need a way of dismissing a woman’s opinions, thoughts and emotions.

We live in a world where, in relationships, guys are automatically seen as ‘chill’, and even if they’re overly-keen or borderline possessive, the crazy tag is never applied. Girls, on the other hand, are seen as ‘too emotional’, ‘overreacting’ and ‘irrational’ and therefore men have the special privilege of being able to label women with any of these words when they demonstrate an emotion or opinion that men don’t want to deal with.

And, as awful as it sounds, girls aren’t immune to it either. I don’t know how many friends have been told by their boyfriends that their exes are crazy and they eat it up without question. When girls are told they’re ‘overreacting’, ‘overthinking’ or ‘too sensitive’, they immediately accept it, or second guess themselves and ask ‘am I being crazy?’. I’m unsure as to why the mental health hospitals of the world aren’t overflowing, because apparently there are a lot of crazy women out there.

When I asked one of my guy friends about it, he told me: “Boys probably feel the need for a reason why their relationship failed and they are subsequently emasculated so blame a generic reason outside of their control” before going on to tell me “but the girls I date are crazy, at least.” And it’s true, every relationship is different, but like Amazon selling ‘psycho ward’ Halloween costumes, the use of the words ‘crazy’ and ‘psycho’ to describe girls is completely disrespectful to people with genuine mental illnesses.

Another guy said: “Girls get the crazy image thing because there’s no threat of retaliation – as in a girl can burn your clothes and scratch you but not be afraid you’ll fight back. Whereas guys don’t have anyone to take their anger out on other than themselves.” This is the thing we have to remember. When a girl is ‘crazy’ it’s seen as funny, so the story spreads. Whereas when a boy is ‘crazy’, it’s just downright scary, and is usually kept hidden.

It’s everywhere. Taylor Swift is called crazy for singing about her past relationships, while Robin Thicke writes a whole album about his obsession with his ex-wife and no one bats an eyelid. Amber Heard is called crazy and manipulative because of her bisexuality rather than Johnny Depp who’s literally accused of physically and mentally abusing her. We hear ‘I would hate to be Adele’s ex-boyfriend’ while Chris Brown is played constantly despite the fact he beat Rihanna, the list goes on.

It’s a double standard, and a bigger issue than just relationships. Because it’s normal in relationships, it becomes allowed in the work place, and in life in general. If a woman is strong, bold, opinionated or expresses her emotions, she’s labelled a crazy bitch, bossy, or loudmouthed. The idea of calling women ‘crazy’ is a throwback to an age when women were supposed to be ‘seen and not heard’ and supposed to know their place.

Therefore, think twice when he tells you his ex was crazy, or when you tell you friend to ‘stop overthinking’, or label a girl a ‘bitch’ for being opinionated, because it reduces the actions and opinions of women everywhere purely to their emotions.

@laurakwxo