A - F

--- I\A ---

• "Aeon Flux"
  

• Aethelfled - Conqueror of the Danes, and one of the more overlooked women of English history. On the death of her father, Alfred the Great, what remained of England, and the responsibility for reconquering the land from the Danes, was divided between her and her brother Edward. Edward made rather a hash of his share of the duties; it was Aethelfled who succeeded in the final pacification of the invaders. She died in the year her conquests were complete, leaving her share of the kingdom to her daughter, Aelfwin.

• Afghanistan, The Revolutionary Association of the Women of

  This group of truly Heartless Bitches are fighting the brutal oppression of women by the "Taliban" government in Kabul. A quote from their homepage: (RAWA are) "a force which raises the slogan of social progress and democracy in conditions of the most heavy-handed oppression against women imposed by the most backward, most anachronistic mercenary band of criminal religo-fascist it has been the misfortune of contemporary world history to witness."

  (Click here for More info on RAWA)

• "Alice" - from the Dilbert Comic strip - "Must. Control. Fist. Of. Death!"

• al-Mubarak, Maasuma - a leading women's rights activist and professor of international relations at Kuwait University, she vowed to "...continue to work from any position to promote and defend women's rights"

• Allbright, Madeline

• Amara, Fadela - current leader of the "Ni putes ni soumises" movement in France - was quoted in Time Magazine as saying, "Any sign of independence or femininity is viewed as a challenge and a provocation."

• Amos, Tori

• Andreas-Salome, Lou - A woman of the late 1800's who championed women's causes and new ideas in philosophy and psychology. She had many lovers and valued her independence such that she turned down Poet-philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's proposal of marriage. (After which he wrote the famous he wrote the famous Zarathustra, in anger).

• "Angela"- Angel of Elysium, hunter of Hellspawn.
  

• Antoinette, Marie

• Anthony, Susan B. - "Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences."

• Artemis - Greek goddess of the hunt. As a newborn child she elicited a promise from her father (Zeus) that, Artemis - Greek goddess of the hunt. As a newborn child she elicited a promise from her father (Zeus) that she could always remain young and wild and would never have to marry. Once, the hunter Actaeon spied on her while she was bathing. She turned him into a stag and watched while his own dogs tore him into pieces. She then continued hunting with her nymphs.

• " Artemis" - one of Wonder Woman's sisters. She, being dead, fights off an army in Hell to crawl up out of her grave to live again. All this while carrying an unconscious Wonder Woman.

• Aquitaine, Eleanor of - her "courts of love" spelled out explicitly what women were looking for in men. Women unafraid to offer opinions on THEIR desires, as well as men who wished to become enlightened, flocked to Eleanor's courts and set new standards for relationships. She was the only woman who was ever Queen of both France and England. She dared to get her marriage to Louis VII anulled, and wielded vast amounts of power, wealth and land. She went off to the Crusades, had an affair with her uncle Raymond and generally defied all conventions governing the conduct of women at the time (the mid 1100s).

  --- B ---

• Bâ, Mariama - Senegalese author of "Une Si Longue Lettre." (English title: "So Long a Letter") Bâ was one of the first women in Senegal (1980) to dare speak out against the unequal treatment of women in her country, particularly regarding state-sanctioned polygamy and the absence of women in politics.

• Bacall, Lauren - When asked if she hates it when people call her "intimidating": "That's right, I do. I say it's *your* fault, something in your mind, nothing that *I've* done."

• Bankhead, Tallulah - a defiant and funny actress/comedienne throughout the twenties, thirties, forties and fifties (her last major role was as the black widow in the original batman and robin tv series). She never allowed herself to be hunted by men, she was always the hunter. She loved to drink, smoke and party - she lived by her own rules.

  "The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."

• Barlow, Maude - national chair of the Council of Canadians -- a non-partisan group formed to battle free trade. She lobbied against the such evils as legalizing the sale of bovine growth hormone in Canada and pissed off a lot of businesses in the process.

• Barr, Roseanne - "The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it."

• "Beatrice" - of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Sarcastic, cynical, and downright fascinating, Beatrice sees right through the lovesick, prince-and-princess tripe accepted so unconditionally by her meek cousin Hero and Hero's Himbo fiancée Claudio. And she never fails to cheerfully take pot shots at her own beloved, Benedick, a Heartless Bitch of a man himself. Best of all, while Claudio becomes convinced that Hero has been unfaithful (and nurses this suspicion for the rest of his life behind a we-are-one-and-so-in-love facade), Beatrice and Benedick truly trust each other, and don't try to cover up their differences-- You know that in the end THEIR marriage will be the strongest.

• Bedi, Kiran - India's first and highest ranking female police officer - well known for her controversial work in prison reform and officer training. She has been bestowed with the prestigious Raman Magsaysay Award, the Josephy Beuys Prize and the Asian Noble Prize.

• Behn, Aphra - Born 1303, died 1373.

• Bellil, Samira - She had the courage to write the book "Dans l’enfer des tournantes" about her rape and the violence and attitudes towards women in the Muslim community in France. She founded a national movement known as "Ni putes ni soumises" - "Neither whores nor doormats"

• Bennet, Elizabeth - (fictional character from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"), for not only her intelligence, independence, wit, and refusal to accept the position in society that her "betters" mandated, but also for her wonderful, scathingly worded, and marvelously effective refusal of Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal.

• Benz, Bertha - Bertha Ringer was born in Pforzheim on May 3, 1849 and was 23 when she married Karl Benz, inventor of the automobile, on July 20, 1872.
  Early one August morning in 1888, without the knowledge of her husband, she set off in Karl's three-wheeler with the couple's two sons on the journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim. As darkness fell, the intrepid trio arrived safe and well in Pforzheim. They then sent Karl a telegram to tell him that they had successfully completed the first long-distance journey in his motor car.

  News of this sensational event spread like wildfire. Two kids and a woman in a hissing and snarling, horseless carriage - it had to be the work of the devil incarnate! Yet, Bertha Benz had achieved what she had set out to do. The critics were won over by the reliability of the Benz motor car and it had become the talk of the town. Karl Benz was later to write in his memoirs: "Only one person stood by me during those times when I was heading towards the abyss. That was my wife. With her bravery and courage she could always find new hope."

  • Birgitta, Saint - Born 1303, died 1373. Left her husband, and became a nun. Had revelations, moved to Rome. Founded a monastery of her own - Birgittaorden - for both females and males. Politically influential.

  • The Bitches From Hell Attorneys at Powers Phillips, P.C. - the most hilarious "law firm" website out there, complete with the Bitches From Hell Newsflash and FAQ.

  • "Bitchy Bitch" - from the comic Naughty Bits.

  • Bjork

  • Boadicea - Queen of the Iceni in 60 AD, she lead the revolt against the Romans.

    "We British are used to women commanders in war. I am the daughter of mighty men. But I am not fighting for my royal power now... I am fighting as an ordinary person who has lost her freedom. I am fighting for my bruised body. The Gods will grant us the revenge we deserve. Think of how many of us are fighting, and why. Then you will win this battle or die. That is what I, a woman, plan to do. Let the men live as slaves, if they want. I won't."

    -- (quoted by Terry Deary in The Rotten Romans)

  • Bolkovac, Kathryn - Former US police officer who became a whistle-blower while working for the UN on the International Police Task Force in Croatia. She pointed out the fact that individuals in the IPTF were involved in human trafficking in the sex trade and was fired shortly thereafter on the accusation that she "falsified a time sheet". She sued and won her case and has gone public with the information. (It is estimated that 200,000 women are smuggled out of eastern Europe each year, for the purposes of the sex trade - many of them forced into prostitution.)

  • Bombeck, Erma - "We've got a generation now who were born with semi-equality. They don't know how it was before, so they think, this isn't too bad. We're working. We have our attaché cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don't realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle."

  • Anne Bonney -- She was born in Ireland in 1697 then her family moved to South Carolina where her father had a great big plantation. Being the archetype of 18th century assholes, he disinherited her so she torched his plantation and fled to the Caribbean where she became a pirate notorious for indiscriminately slaughtering all those who challenged her authority. This bad girl definitely deserves props for her bitchiness.

  • Borgia, Lucretia

  • Boumboulina, Laskarina - Heroine of the Greek War of Independence from the Turks (1821), she used her wealth to build a navy and dominate the Agean sea, causing problems for the Turks and inspiring other islands to join in the fight.

  • Bronstein, Naomi Segal - winner of the Royal Bank Award for Canadian achievement. In addition to being a significant participant in the fight to ban land mines, Naomi has made it her career to help poor, orphaned and underprivileged children in many 3rd world countries. According to the Toronto Globe and Mail,

    "While her commitment is never in doubt, Ms. Bronstein's intemperate outbursts have earned her the sobriquet of 'the swearing Mother Teresa'. Her take-no-prisoners style has landed her in hot water with many governments and citizenry, earning her severe beatings and kidnap attempts on her children."

    John Cleghorn, chairman of the Royal Bank said, "Naomi's career is compelling evidence that one person can strive and triumph against the odds."

  • Burchill, Julie - outrageous, outspoken UK journalist. Her ex just wrote a whiny book, all about how she left him all alone to bring up their son. She took him apart, saying that he's only doing what millions of women have to do everywhere, but he expects a medal just because he's a man.

  • " Breckinridge", "Myra" - Gore Vidal's transsexual character who said, "I am Myra Breckinridge, whom no man shall ever possess."

  • Browne, Stella (1880-1995) - British feminist, socialist, sex radical, and pro-choice campaigner. At a time when even birth control was being mentioned in whispers, Browne was advocating legalized abortion as a necessary element in women's control over their own bodies (first published statement 1915 in birth control periodical The Malthusian, first statement on a public platform at a birth control conference in 1922. She preached and practiced free love. In 1937, aged nearly 60 and never married, she told a British government committee investigating the 'problem' of illegal abortion that she had 'the knowledge in her own person' that abortion did not have to be lethal or even damaging to health and sanity.

  • Bruce, Black Agnes - the grand-daughter of the Scottish king Robert Bruce, and daughter of the Earl of Moray. In 1337 Agnes was left to defend the besieged castle of Dunbar. She directed the defence, jeered at the attackers from the battlements, and held the castle for 6 months, until the English finally abandoned the siege. She allegedly mocked the English by dusting off the castle ramparts with her handkerchief after a cannon attack.

  • Brundtland, Gro Harlem - Norwegian prime minister (Labour party) 1981, 1986-1989, 1990-1996, present Director-General of WHO. Though all may not have liked her politics, her contribution to the public opinion of strong and competent women in power (in Norway at least) cannot be disregarded. In 1986-89, eight out of her 18 ministers were women; between 1990-1996, 9 of 19 were women. Among the many quotations in norwegian newspapers after she quit politics, one 8 year old boy was quoted as asking his parents if it was possible for a man to be prime minister. That teaches a lesson on the power of example, and illustrates why it is crucial that women achieve leading positions so the rest of us dare follow.

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy Rocks! she is rough, buff and totally tough. And she kicks Vampire/Demon butt.

  • Byron, Ada, Countess of Lovelace - widely considered the mother of computer programming. She was a contemporary of Charles Babbage (whose analytical engine regarded as one of the first computers) and a true scientist in an age when women were not allowed in science.

    --- C ---

  • "Callisto"

  • Cabete, Adelaide - one of the founders of the Portuguese Sufragette Movement and the first woman to be ordained a Freemason in Portugal. She was born poor, in a peasant family. Despite having all odds set against her, Adelaide managed to get ou of the poverty trap, establish a life for her self in the capital city, get an education and become the foremost political activist in Iberia of her time. Thank you, Adelaide!

  • "Carmen" of Bizet's opera

  • Carr, Emily - a Canadian artist that refused to marry because she didn't want to compromise her art. She traveled alone into Indian camps to study their art which no man would have attempted in that time. Despite the fact that the art world was still a very male dominated area, her work was widely respected (even by the Group of Seven). She ran out of money later in life and rather than compromise herself by marrying (or other such nonsense) she opened up a boarding house and became a landlady. If the boarders complained about her cleaning etc. she would play nasty tricks on them (shutting off the hot water, the heat or other things.) Most importantly she revolutionized the Canadian art scene by making her work more rugged and harsh than ever seen before.

  • Carrier, Martha Allan - Martha was known to be "a woman of disposition not unlikely to make enemies; plain and outspoken in her speech, of remarkable strength of mind, a keen sense of justice, and a sharp tongue." None of these traits were particularly valued in women of the 17th century. Martha was arrested on May 28, 1692 for the crime of witchcraft in Andover, Massachusetts, not far from the now infamous Salem. She was defiant and confrontational with the judges when they brought her accusers before her, asking why they would listen to such obviously crazy people. Later they arrested and tortured two of her sons in an attempt to gain a confession of guilt and she still refused to give in. Even when they arrested and manipulated her seven year old daughter into confessing that 'mommy was a witch and made her one, too,' Martha would not plead anything, but innocent. She said, "I would rather die than confess a falsehood so filthy." She was executed on August 19, 1692 as the ONLY accused person in the history of the Salem Witchcraft Trials never to plead guilty. (Quote source: Witch Hunt Victims by Laura Shapiro, Newsweek 1992)

  • Cassatt, Mary - A brilliant success in the male-dominated field of Impressionist painting, Mary Cassatt was never too concerned with other people's notions of propriety.

  • Catherine the Great

  • Catwoman - (from the series BatMan) Has there EVER been a character as bitchy as Selene Kyle, The Catwoman? She robs the elite of , Catwoman - Has there EVER been a character as bitchy as Selene Kyle, The Catwoman? She robs the elite of Gotham City blind, and knocks over anyone who even thinks about getting in her way with that whip and her claws. MEEEE-OW!

  • Cavanaugh, Kit - became a dragoon with the British army, fought in battles alongside men, first disguised as a man, and later openly, as a woman.

  • Chapman , Tracy

  • Chauvet, Marie - Hatian author of (among others) "Amour, colère et folie." This book spoke out against sexism and racism in Hatian society, as well as criticizing the Duvalier dictatorship. Out of fear of retribution, Chauvet's husband burned every copy of the first edition of "Amour, colère et folie." (On that note, I think that Dr. Anny Dominique Curtius of the University of Delaware's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures deserves credit for finding one of the few remaining copies and reproducing it for her classes.) Chauvet was not discouraged by her husband, and she continued to write until her death in 1986.

  • Chesler, Phyllis - controversial psychologist, feminist, and author of "Women and Madness"(1972):

    "Why were our mothers so silent about rape and incest and prostitution and their own lack of pleasure? Why when they had so many words, did the not name our heroines for us, tell us about feminists and suffragettes and Amazons and great-mothers?"

  • Chisolm, Shirley

  • Christina, Queen - Portrayed by both HB's Pola Negri and Greta Garbo in film, Queen Christina did a lot of things which raised eyebrows in her time, including openly lesbian relationships, and, rumor has it, passing as male on more than one occasion. The penultimate act that led to her abdication was her conversion to Catholicism. Definitely not a member of the swedish bikini team.

  • Cleopatra

  • Clinton, Hillary, First Lady, Front Row - Heartless Bitch and beyond? SHE has a job to do too. Doing it quite well with her "vacant eye" to the press, standing in a place she worked hard to earn. Commendable her in her political stability, look past the "vacant eye" and you'll see a woman who has worked hard to get where she is and isn't giving it up. Under enormous pressure she isn't [climbing to the bell tower] as so many would. In the face of "His and Hers" scandals she stands proud and shows up for work looking great. No bags under her eyes. Is she indignant about her 'husbands' behavior? No. She isn't responsible for his indiscretions and she isn't going to go down with him. I suspect if she could make a statement to the press it would be something like, "He can go to hell... but, I'll be damned if he's going to take me with him!" Regardless of how this all plays out I have a strong feeling we will be seeing a lot of her in the future. {Personally I hope she is laying the gardener. If she is/was you can be assure she wouldn't get caught.}

  • Clytemnestra - wife of Agamemnon. She ran the state of Argos efficiently and single-handedly, much to the annoyance of the councilors Agamemnon left in charge while he was off playing war with his brother, Menelaus. She devised a beacon system to forewarn her of Agamemnon's return where upon she puts into action the plan she has been working on for the past ten years and murders him - she is not driven to this act solely through love for Aegisthus (her boyfriend) or jealousy of Cassandra (whom Agamemnon brings back to the palace as official consort), but because Agamemnon murdered their daughter Iphigenia.

  • Coleman, Bessie - The first black woman in the world to become a pilot and the first woman to receive an international pilot's licence.

  • Coleman, Wanda - "I haven't seen anyone killed, and I have yet to kill anyone. I have exhibited GREAT RESTRAINT!"

  • College, Sally J. Priesand - First female rabbi, ordained in 1972 by the Hebrew Union - Jewish Institute of Religion. Went on to obtain a doctorate of divinity. Consulted in the compiling of the Reform Jewish prayer books.

  • Crawford, Joan

  • Croft, "Tomb Raider," Lara - British adventurer and collector of antiquities. Some may think of her as a female styling of Indiana Jones. Despite her pneumatic appearance, her character takes the player through mazes and brain exercises to solve the game mystery, and her point is usually made with ammunition. A departure from other recent game releases that seem to feature only men rescuing women or the world, or the universe.

  • Cunningham, Evelyn - a reporter for The Pittsburgh Courier, known as the "Lynching Editor", back in the glory days in the 1940's and 50's, when it was the most influential newspaper in black America and she was a star. She earned the name for her stories on the fight for equal rights in the early 60's. She reported on the school desegregation fight in Birmingham, Ala., and on the Montgomery bus boycott and the murders of black sharecroppers who exercised their right to vote.

  • Curie, Madame Marie - the only member of the "Class of '22," which included Einstein and Neils Bohr, to earn TWO Nobel prizes.

    --- D ---

  • d'Anjou, Margaret - Queen Regent, she was a Frenchwoman and the wife of King Henry VI of England, one of the many lamers to hold that post. While he was doddering around, she proved herself a capable general during the Wars of the Roses, upholding the House of Lancaster. Had it not been for her it might have been a Yorkist walkover.

  • Max/DarkAngel - aka Jessica Alba plays a genetically souped-up teen in a new TV series about a post-apocolyptic dystopian society. Serious Heartless Bitch material.

    
    

  • Davis, Angela

  • Davis, Bette - "Old age is no place for sissies."

  • "Daria" from the MTv animated series, - "I don't have low self-esteem ... I have low esteem for everyone else."

  • Day, Dorothy - tireless activist and worker for social change, women's right to vote, and pacifism, she founded the Catholic Workers Movement, and fed and housed thousands of homeless and needy during the depression and beyond. Jailed on more than one occasion for her "acts of conscience" she lived her life with purpose until the day she died. Though some want her cannonized, her most memorable words on the subject were, "Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily."

  • de Beauvoir, Simone - "The writer of originality, unless dead, is always shocking, scandalous; novelty disturbs and repels."

  • Del Ponte, Carla - the chief prosecotor fo the UN war crimes tribunal. She will try Slodoban Milosevic, and is known as a ruthless achiever and a fearless fighter who has uncovered bank scandals and drug plots.

  • de Medici, Catherine

  • "De Ville" , "Cruella "

  • "Desire" (of the Endless), from the Sandman series of Graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.

  • Demerson, Velma - for speaking out and writing about a largely forgotten and covered up period in Canadian history where women were arrested, abused and incarcerated for nothing more than having interracial relationships.

  • Desrocher, Josée-Anne - rights activist: 1965-2005 - a working-class, East-end Montreal mother, and founder of "Regroupement des innocentes victimes du crime organisé", who refused to accept hush money from the biker gang that killed her 11-year-old son. 'I no longer cry. Some will say I don't have a heart. I don't, actually. I don't want one any more'.

  • Devi, Girija - Living in one of the poorest regions of India, she got alcohol banned in the deperately poor Musahar communities. "Earlier our men would come home drunk and beat us up. Now things have completely changed, and our husbands treat us with respect. All thanks to Girija Devi," says Dhanmati Devi, a local villager. Devi has also been instrumental in fighting for roads, schools and healthcare for her villiages - often by blocking roads and staging protests. On Feb 27, 2006 she will be the first Mushar woman to address a UN convention.

  • Devi, Phoolan - The "Bandit Queen", Applauded by thousands in India, as a female Robin Hood.

  • Didion, Joan - a wonderful author, a keen observer and documenter of contemporary American social and political culture. Her work stands easily with, and often surpasses, that of the likes of Thomas Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson (in his more lucid moments).

  • Dietrich, Marlene - "In America, sex is an obsession. In other parts of the world, it's a fact."

  • Difranco, Ani - "I am not a pretty girl, that is not what I do, I ain't no damsel in distress, and I don't need to be rescued... "

  • DiMassa, Diane - author of the outrageous "Hothead Paisan,- Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist". A tortured, exhausted artist-type, driven to produce art through anger, she has found it better to publish cartoons and send them out into the world than to actually talk to anyone.

  • Dimmock, Charlie - redheaded gardening expert on the BBC program "Ground Force"

    1. Her physical strength: Charlie definitely carries her own when it comes to doing things around the garden. She can lift three heavy paving slabs at one time, carry 50-lb bags of gravel from the front to the back garden, effortlessly start machinery that her fellow hosts, Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh, often can't, dig out a 15-ft deep hole while humming a song, and is the only member of the "Ground Force" crew who can operate a chain saw, thusly making her the person they all turn to whenever a tree needs cutting down.

    2. Her redefinition of feminity: Charlie is never shown wearing makeup on the program -- that would just be too silly, as it would run down her face by noon time. She doesn't bother with wearing bras nor does she exhibit this. Why should she? She feels most comfortable working bra-less, so she works bra-less. She also is free enough of any vanity to where she spends 90% of the time with her hair, untied and free, in her face, with a face-full of grit and sweat, her jeans deeply stained, and her short nails grimy. And at the same time she's considered one of Britain's most beautiful!

    3. Her ability to play with the boys: Charlie never, ever lets a critical comment go past her without commenting on it, usually in a salty/sweet manner: example, when Tommy Walsh is trying to hurry her along, she just keeps on working and replies with, "Well, you'll get something *sometime* today, sunshine." She isn't afraid of being the butt of jokes; in fact, she targets her fellow hosts with some delicious barbs. At the end of an episode where the crew worked on an old age pensioners' home's garden, she swings back and forth on a swingset and says, "I only hope when I get as old as Alan [Titchmarsh], there will be a place like this for me."

    Her original goal in life was to be a forensic pathologist (no modeling in her portfolio -- no way); she regularly shrugs off her "sex symbol" status during interviews, which all so-called "sex symbols" should do; she's kept herself grounded even though she's a celebrity in the UK and adored worldwide; not only is she a British TV star, she's also the owner of a water garden center located close to Southampton *and* she actually runs the joint instead of taking the credit for other people's hard graft (work); she actually has a *healthy* physique -- muscular and an American size 12 instead of scrawny and an American size 2 like most American TV stars.

    In short, Charlie Dimmock is a tough and witty woman, fearless, hard working, down to earth (in the true sense of the meaning instead of the syrupy Hollywood sense), and a sorely-needed presence over here on this side of the pond. (Note: "Ground Force" is aired daily on the cable BBC America channel.)

  • Djebar, Assia - An expatriate Algerian writer, Djebar was forced to leave her country and change her name because her feminist writing pissed off the wrong people. (God forbid that women should be allowed to leave their houses, remove their veils, and WORK!) Djebar now divides her time between the US and France, and, fortunately, is still writing and speaking out against the oppression of women.

  • Dodson, Betty - sex educator, artist & critic - "When you bring out your vibrator, it separates the jocks from the lovers. If he can’t handle the concept that after you fuck, you want to come with your vibrator, I’d recommend keeping your vibrator and getting rid of your lover. Men or women who love women don’t make an issue over how their partner gets off, just as long as she does. That’s my kind of lover. "

  • Durga - a Hindu goddess (with Kali and Parvati) representing Shakti, or all the energy and power in the universe. She has eight weapon-wielding arms, rides a tiger (or lion) and is depicted killing a demon. She answers to no one but herself. A combination of mother and fiery, fierce warrior!

    --- E ---

  • Earhardt, Amelia - Besides being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she set several other flying records back in the day, last of which was attempting an around-the-world flight. She also founded a Society for women pilots, and did some work for children's charities.

  • Edmonds, Sibel - a 32-year-old Turkish-American, hired as a translator by the FBI shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 because of her knowledge of Middle Eastern languages. She was fired less than a year later in March 2002 for reporting shoddy work and security breaches to her supervisors that could have prevented those attacks.

  • Ehrenreich, Barbara - "Women who sacrifice everything for the kids often make cold, embittered moms, or suffocating, emotionally overwhelming moms, or else they wither away from a depression for which the kids eventually blame themselves.

  • Eisenberg , Rebecca L.- "A truly radical view of pornography recognizes that we are what we consume -- and if we are going to alter the face of society, and destroy Victorian and religious notions like gender altogether -- as I believe we must -- we must be willing to evaluate and change every aspect of our lives, including the images we feed ourselves as we fuck, as terrifying as it sounds. Like it or not, revolution is a scary concept."

  • Elaine - Nominated by her daughter for a life time achievement in Heartless Bitchery.

  • Elders, Joycelyn - the former U.S. surgeon general who resigned in 1994 after critics charged she was too outspoken in her views on sex education and abortion.

  • Elizabeth I - The quintessential Heartless Bitch. She stood up for her principles, never married because it would have meant a loss of power, stood up to the Catholic Church, and carried England out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance.

    Elliot, Jane- "I'm your resident bitch for the day!" - Internationally acclaimed anti-racism expert who challenges attitudes towards racism. Her confrontational techniques have garnered her both praise and criticism.

  • "Endora", - from the TV Series Bewitched. Endora was a witch/bitch who did it all for herself, tried to teach her daughter the same (unsuccessfully), and could not stand "whiney and simpering" mortal men. She had the greatest time turning the whiney and weak into a variety of animals. She had her own style, didn't care what anyone said or thought about her, and was always a complete and total bitch! All this during the '60s, during the days of Ozzie and Harriet and Father Knows Best. She was a great role model.

  • The Girls of England - In the Summer 2000 exams, girls outperformed boys at all levels. This has created a most entertaining crisis of male confidence - it has even been suggested in all seriousness that every boy in school should be seated next to a girl, who will help "bring him along." Now as the girls (who form the a majority in most Universities and Colleges) begin their further education many boys are engaged in an increasingly desperate search for employment. The way things are going in twenty years time this country will be run and mostly owned by women. Let's hear it for the Girls of England.

  • Ensler, Eve - author of the Vagina Monologues, inspired the V-day Movement, an effort to call attention both to the female body itself, and the ways in which it is being globally marginalised and mutilated. Go Eve!

  • Erauso, Dona Catalina de - Latin American "Robin Hood" of the 16th century who fled a convent to become a soldier of fortune and folk hero.

  • "Estella" of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." Estella is surely one of the great Heartless Bitches of English Literature, having been brought up by Miss Havisham with the express purpose of breaking men's hearts. The weedy tacked-on ending where she walks off hand-in-hand with Pip is utterly unconvincing - and was suggested to Dickens by Bulwer Lytton, who thought the public would want the novel to end happily. HBI readers would be well-advised to skip that part of the last chapter. Estella was recently played in an Anglo-American TV adaptation by the beautiful Kim Thompson.

  • Eve - For being courageous enough to go against the unexplained and pointless rules of a vengeful and authoritarian God and bringing knowledge to all of us.

    --- F ---

  • Faithful, Marianne

  • Finnbogadottir, Vigdis - president of Iceland 1980-1996, was the first woman in the world to be elected as Head of State. She was so popular the Althing (the Icelandic congress) actually changed the law so she could continue to be in office!

  • "Firestar" - - The owner of the Body Shop. We love her strict and bitchy views of women in the world and their A character of Marvel Comics, Firestar is a mutant who generates microwave energy. Manipulated by her first teacher, the White Queen, into becoming an assassin, Firestar broke free and destroyed the White Queen's home. She became a heroine, and joined Marvel's premiere super hero team, The Avengers. After Captain America made a comment that sounded vaguely like a dismissal, Firestar refused to join until he offered her an apology.
    

  • Flodgren, Boel - headmaster of Lund University in Sweden. She is the first woman to become the headmaster of Lund University and she doesn't take shit from anybody.

  • "Forrester, Pearl " - from MST3K. She shot her own son to save him.

  • Forsyth, Amanda - Australian fashion designer who successfully sued a magazine for insulting her over her weight - they said "We think you're blowing a kiss but you may be begging for scraps, no wonder Kermi wouldn't root you, Miss Piggy." Forsyth says, "Beauty isn't exclusively for size eight women. I encourage everyone to wear what they want...People say that if you're overweight, you can't wear bright colours, a corset or a tailored jacket - you can only wear a straight black dress down to your knees. But I say 'Up yours to all that!' I'm fat and I'm beautiful!"

    Honorary Heartless Bitch Men's Auxiliary membership to the judge who ruled in her favour, too, for setting a great precedent!

  • Franklin, Aretha - was there ever a song as Heartlessly Bitchy as "Respect?"

  • Franklin, Rosalyn- a researcher who did a ton of groundbreaking work towards the discovery of DNA (and the structure of the double helix) but was fucked out of credit because of her gender.

  • Fraser, Sheila - The Auditor General of Canada (2001-2002) - for her straight-forward Report that in plain, no nonsense language exposes ineptitude, bungling and mismanagement of funds in the Canadian government.

  
  
  Copyright© Heartless Bitches International (heartless-bitches.com) 2000, All Rights Reserved

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