3: Boo
Bitch is bad unless it’s good. Lady is better, but forced. But boo? Boo is the sweet spot. Boo is the best thing you can call a woman. She isn’t your bitch. She isn’t your special lady friend. She is your boo, which connotes respect, tenderness, and sexual prowess. You can be her boo, too — if you’re lucky. Boodom is reciprocal, the rare instance when slang eradicates any trace of misogyny. There would’ve been no uproar if Lupe Fiasco had used “boo.” Sure, we would’ve laughed, but we would’ve understood.
Boodom is equal footing. Women don’t just call anyone their boo. Maybe chickenheads do, but not your boo. Your boo can be gangsta and know where them dollars at. Or she can merely be down to ride in your 2004 Volkwagon Passat. It is a versatile word, and deep down, we are all united by our desire for a boo. Boos have a deeper connection. People die. Diamonds disappear. Relationships distintegrate. But boodom is forever. - Jeff Weiss
