Just reposting a response I did on LW's blog, "I got your bitch right here":
I know that "bitch" has surpassed just being an insult to woman (I, too, hear men being referred to as bitches and hear the term "bitching" alot), but I guess for me, for the most part, it's always going to be a matter of disrespect when it's used on a woman.
I KNOW sometimes ppl can't help but think of a woman as a bitch when she's acting controlling, conniving, evil, etc. And I guess if you have the viewpoint that Hillary is controlling, conniving, evil, etc., then you are going to think of her this way. I just don't have this opinion of her. Thus, when I hear her being called a bitch, I just think it's coming from people who don't like that she, a woman, is in a position of power.
Even more bothersome than the Hillary thing is when I hear men just throw around the bitch label when it isn't even warranted. To them, a bitch is synonymous with "girl" or "women" or "lady." That definitely bothers me.