Aggressive, fierce women or girls; also, fighting planes used in World War II.
From 'hell' (meaning fierce, wild) and 'cats' (suggesting wildness and independence). The term 'hellcat' dates to at least the 1600s, later applied to the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter plane.
The F6F Hellcat was named brilliantly—pilots wanted a plane name that sounded untamable and fierce, not patriotic or formal. They chose a term already used for wild, fearless women, showing how daring character traits (whether human or mechanical) get the same wild-animal names.
Applied almost exclusively to women as term for aggressive, insubordinate, or sexually independent females, particularly in mid-20th century discourse. Rarely applied to men with equivalent contempt.
Use 'assertive', 'competitive', or 'outspoken' to describe personality traits without gendered epithet baggage.
["assertive","outspoken","independent"]
Women labeled 'hellcats' for behavior praised in men; reclamation has occurred in feminist contexts (bands, publications), reframing label as strength.
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