It all started with a video dating back to 2021 that resurfaced on social media in late July. We see JD Vance, Donald Trump’s current running mate, declaring on Fox News that the United States would be run by “a bunch of childless cats who are miserable with their own lives”without having“direct interest” for the good of the country, since she has no children. Comments strongly criticized by supporters of her opponent, Kamala Harris, who has no children, and who is the direct target of these attacks. In support, singer Taylor Swift also defined herself as a “Childless cat lady” in the Instagram post in which he announced that he was supporting the Democrat.
JD Vance is not the first to use this misogynistic expression. As Charlotte Debest, a doctor in sociology and author of the thesis, explains Choosing a childless life (2014, Presses Universitaire de Rennes), the expression “Childless cat lady” It has been spoken out against women for centuries, in particular to denigrate their involvement in the political scene.
What does the expression “childless cat lady” refer to and how can we translate it into French?
“The childless cat lady” can be literally translated as “cat lady without children”. In French, we would speak of an “old cat”, that is, a single, heterosexual, lonely woman, potentially bitter and, in any case, not lovable enough to be surrounded by anything other than her pet. Whoever says “spinster” means not married and therefore without children. As for the cat, it has been associated with women because of its domestic and passive side: it is an animal that can be kept inside the house, that can be made invisible, unlike the dog, associated with men, who need to integrate into the public space. Originally we used the expression instead “lady cat”. The term “childless” (“childless”) It adds further discredit, implying that this situation would necessarily be sad and damaging.
How has the figure of the “cat lady” evolved over time? Has it always had this negative and misogynistic connotation?
In Egyptian mythology, cats were associated with the deity and goddess Bastet, the daughter of the sun god Ra, who had the form of a cat or a woman with a cat’s head. She represented benevolence, the protection of humanity but also femininity and fertility. Powerful women gradually disappeared and the figure of the cat deteriorated, becoming associated with unbridled sexuality, vice and evil. The cat, being also an independent animal, referred to something untamable, thus creating fear at a time when the Church had become very powerful in controlling the sexualization and the body of women.
You have 57.26% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
