Zodwa Wabantu has no issue with being called a b**ch. Mainly because she’s found a way to use it positively for herself and occasionally even calls herself a b**ch. But the people she cares about still find it hard to swallow the word.
Zodwa told TshisaLIVE that she’s aware that she’s called many names that people consider derogatory. However, she has learnt that nothing can hurt you unless you allow it to and she had to let her “family” in on the secret.
“I’ve had to explain why I call myself by these names to the three men I actually care about. They were hurt because they thought I was bullying myself for the audience benefit but I explained that I am taking my power back. They told me calling myself things like b**ch or witch would mess with my brand or confidence.
“Shame, the guys in my life worried a lot. It hurt them that I would claim these names, because for them they are not nice names. But once I explained they understood where I was coming from.”
Zodwa said reclaiming the power from her haters made her feel good because she realised they were actually scared of her and she wanted them to know that she’s aware.
“What I am trying to say is I know that people call me all sorts of names. They do it in the privacy of their homes, on social media, at my gigs, behind closed doors… you know, behind my back. They call me a lot of names from witch to b**ch, but act shocked when I say ‘I am a b**ch’. So what do they think? That it’s okay to call me a b**ch but I can’t call myself that? No, that’s nonsense and I won’t have people thinking they have power over me, because they don’t.”
Zodwa said she believed confronting the labels that people put on her and even addressing them is a gift.
She said the fact that she had platforms on which she could tackle being called a b**ch head on meant she would rub it in the face of people who intend to hurt her with the label.
“Mostly when I say things that end up shocking people, I would just be repeating what they said about me. Then they are shocked at how rude they are.
