There are several phrases that strike fear into the hearts of boys everywhere. Among these are anything involving Tampax, a sports strike, “talking about our future”… the list goes on for several more paragraphs. However, there is one with particular potency: “whipped.”

Never has there been a boy that has warmed up to the label. Mostly, this is a term with which most males are loath to associate themselves. They use it with on one another with wild abandon, but try at all costs to avoid the term themselves. Boys use it to convince one another to go out drinking instead of staying home with their girlfriends, lest they be labeled the dread word. It is a tool of man-to-man manipulation in order to deny a woman something or to embarrass someone about the state of his relationship.

The term “whipped” is an artifact of chauvinism masquerading as a light hearted jab. I think that it is high time women began to denounce it wholeheartedly. When we think of the characteristics displayed by the standard whipped boy, they frequently encompass the descriptors of a good girlfriend. Paying attention to the preferences of one’s mate, making adequate time for the relationship and doing special things for your partner for no particular reason are excellent qualities for female partners, but can be construed as too much for males.

A prime example of this can be found in kitchens. A girl who cooks for her boyfriend once or twice a week is a gem in terms of womanhood. A boy who cooks for his girlfriend once a month is romantic, but once a week means he is whipped. This paradox can be extended to many several different actions, and they are all considered acceptable for women, but not so for men by society’s standards of gender roles.

This heteronormative concept of “whipped” is totally unacceptable when we think of it in concrete terms. It is a way that men ensure that they never have to be too tied down to their women. It helps to uphold the power unbalance that is considered standard in much of society. I think it is appalling that women even let such a sneaky and undermining adjective exist in polite society. We need to stand up and defend whipped boys.

Any boy who is “whipped” by his girlfriend should be applauded by women. It means that he cares about his mate, including her opinions and emotions. This is the type of behavior we should be cultivating in men. We should laud any man who cooks regularly for his girl, watches the occasional sappy movie and flips to “What Not to Wear” on football commercial breaks. These men are the cream of the crop and though they may be “whipped” in the eye of the chauvinist society, they should be actively sought after.

“Whipped” is another way for men to deny women the things that they want most out of relationships. It robs girls of a certain amount of emotional security that could otherwise be had. There is nothing worse than a boyfriend who listens to the “whipped” taunting of his friends. Fellows, all good boyfriends are whipped boyfriends. They are not spineless or lacking brains, but they simply know what is best for their relationships and their women. In order to keep one’s mate happy, perhaps one should risk this label every so often.