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The Psychology Behind Bacon Bitch - Interesting/Odd Consumer Experiences

Research · December 2021

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8 authors, including:

Brittney Agoncillo Mia Lavana

University of California, Riverside University of California, Riverside
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Coral Huerta Estela Gonzalez

University of California, Riverside University of California, Riverside
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Introduction
“Bitch” is one of the most versatile words in
the English language. It has psychologically
evolved over time and is used to express an
abundance of emotions. While the word
“bitch” was created out of a simple definition
and, over time, changed entirely from its
original meaning. It is continuously being
developed and shaped by how society
currently uses it. “Bitch” originally started as
a descriptive term and later developed into an
offensive slur. Now it is on the cusp of
growing neutral and even empowering. A
prime example behind the psychology of
“bitch” being used as a form of
empowerment is when customers decide to
grab a bite to eat at a very interesting Miami
restaurant called Bacon Bitch.
Overview
When consumers walk through the doors of
BACON BITCH they are greeted by
friendly staff with a “hey bitch!” followed by
drinks, food, orders, and responses with the
word “bitch.” The psychology following this
consumer experience is altering the negative
stigma behind the term “bitch,” using it as a
sign of endearment and as part of the
consumer experience. It works because the
business uses its infamous meaning for
attention and exposure. Then once the
consumer decides to experience the
restaurant, they are positively reinforced
through excellent service, a tasty menu, and a
unique experience. In short, Bacon Bitch
creates a positive behavioral experience
behind the word “bitch.”
Bacon Bitch employees hold power in this
environment and control the situation when
using this word. They establish the tone and
the customer then follows suit. Its limits are
based on qualitative measures. For instance,
if the service were to go down, or the food
became repulsive, the consumer's behavior
and experience would negatively change,
synchronously limiting the success of the
word “bitch” and the restaurant tied to it. The
power dynamic can also be limited when a
customer corrupts the nature of the
interaction.
Findings
An experience described as odd or interesting
is anything that deviates from the dominant
market play practices in that segment. The
prevailing market player is a company that
can work separately from its competitors and
has functionalities and competitive levels set
to a higher value than others in their market
segment.
For Bacon Bitch to deviate from the dominant
market players' practices in their “Breakfast
& Brunch” segment, they noted that some of
the market segmentations that have strongly
influenced the industry's key players are age,
personality traits, spending habits, and
tourism. What sets them apart is that they
specialize in serving breakfast & brunch
seven days a week when most market
competitors only offer the traditional Sunday
brunch. With the addition of “bitch culture,”
they draw crowds of tourists and locals to
visit this fast-casual chain for the welcoming
environment and the usage of the word
“bitch.”
The psychology behind profanity is
fascinating when considering its widely
misconstrued nature. In the psychological
study “Frankly We Do Give a Damn: The
Relationship Between Profanity and
Honesty,” there is a consistent positive
relationship between profanity and honesty.
The experiments convey that the more an
individual partakes in using profanity, the
higher their ethical value is at an individual
and societal level (Feldman et al). This could
be a connection to why many modern
corporations like Bacon Bitch are starting to
implement more transparent uses of words
such as “bitch,” which is seemingly taboo to
use. Not only is it a great psychological
 business tactic of attraction (the wow factor),
but the psychological studies also prove that
these sorts of companies may operate at a
higher ethical and interactive level than the
brands that do not. Consumers are attracted
to participating in things they may not be
ethically sure about. The irony is that
participating in the widely misperceived use
of profanity is what actually drives
innovative brands, such as Bacon Bitch to
higher standards, performances, and positive
consumer attitudes.
Limitations
The word “bitch” and claiming
empowerment is its own limitation because
empowerment is contingent on who holds the
power. The word “bitch” has been used as a
slur/insult meant to degrade a person.
Historically, women and homosexuals are the
targets, and (categorically) straight cis men
are the ones who weaponize it.
What Bacon Bitch is doing is essentially what
has been done from a societal standpoint:
taking the word back, along with the power
that comes with it. Bacon Bitch has taken the
word “bitch” and uses it in their own
environment where they hold the power that
comes with how the word is being used.
However, the boundary set in place at Bacon
Bitch can be overstepped. The power
dynamic can be disrupted when a customer
corrupts the interaction and twists the nature
of the word back to an offensive slur. The
nature of this odd experience is lost and stops
working on those who do not understand the
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environment and psychology behind Bacon
Bitch. Blaming the employees in a situation
where a customer takes things too far or
corrupts the nature of the experience, saying
things like, “why would you wear a shirt that
says ‘bitch’ if you did not want to be called
‘bitch,’” is senseless because the boundaries
were set and the power dynamic established,
but the person who crossed them did so with
the specific intention of corrupting the
situation.
As such, the success of using the word
“bitch” in other markets is subjective to the
market itself. As previously mentioned,
“bitch” has surpassed its initial connotative
values and instead become a word of
empowerment for both the LGBTQ+
community and women alike. Therefore,
using the word “bitch” in markets where the
audience would feel empowered is more
likely a guarantee of success. This is to say,
the idea of the word “bitch” as a positive
stigma would stop working in non-target
markets. Non-target markets include
professional settings such as doctors and law
offices, environments where children are
present (daycares, preschools), and
government agencies. These markets have
codes of conduct that discourage slang and
expletives. Additionally, the non-target
market would include older, conservative
audiences who are either uncomfortable with
or view the word “bitch” as derogatory. In
these cases, the non-target market is likely to
perceive “bitch” as disrespectful, and any
mention of it could be seen as insulting or
unprofessional