Zorra is the Spanish word for vixen.

However, it’s almost always used in daily speech as an insult similar to ‘bitch’ in English (not too different from calling someone a puta in Spanish).

Vixen used to describe a woman is obviously different in English, as it usually serves as a way of almost praising a fearless and attractive woman.

Interestingly, the masculine version of zorra – zorro (fox) – can also be used to refer to men, but in this case the connotation isn’t derogatory and rather denotes that a guy is cheeky or sly.

It’s a clear example of sexist language in Spanish and double standards that often arise. 

The zorro-zorra divide isn’t too different from that of golfo-golfa – the male version means a rascal and the female one refers to an ‘easy’ woman.  

Idiomatic references to genitalia also favour the male side – cojonudo (from cojones, testicles) or la polla (the dick) are used to describe something good, while coñazo (a big c*nt) is uttered to describe something bothersome. 

Back to the zorra question. Millions of Spaniards have been recently watching the Benidorm Fest musical contest which sees the winner represent Spain at Eurovision.

The name of the winning song by a group called Nebulossa? Zorra.

28 in global music videos, 39 in the UK and 47 in Germany 😭😭😭 ZORRA WORLD DOMINATION 💃💃💃pic.twitter.com/4icZfDbs97

— Zura 🇬🇪 | 🦊 (@zg_georgia) February 5, 2024

Spanish society is divided over whether such a controversial word should be the title of a song which represents their country in May in the Swedish city of Malmö.

For some, the song is an anthem for the country’s feminist movement, one that can reshape its sexist meaning and rather be a battle cry against male chauvinistic rhetoric. After all, the lyrics describe how a woman who gets her way and does what she wants is often called una zorra for it.

On the more traditional side of the spectrum are those who see it as the latest instalment of so-called woke politics. 

Even Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has weighed in on the subject by saying that he liked the song and that “feminism is not only fair, it can be fun”.

“The ‘fascistsphere’ would have preferred for it to have been the Cara al Sol”, the anthem of the Spanish falangist movement, Sánchez added in response to right-wing critics. 

There is a chance that Eurovision organisers won’t accept the song if they deem it includes “insults or language of an unacceptable nature”.

Nevertheless, it feels like zorra is being ‘owned’ by Spanish feminism and that it could soon become a more mainstream way for women to celebrate their freedom in a more socially progressive country.  

READ ALSO: Why Spain’s Eurovision entry ‘Zorra’ is confusing Spain’s feminist movement

Below are some examples of how zorro and zorra denote different meanings, currently.

El Lucas es más zorro, se ha enrollado con dos tías cuando su novia se ha ido a casa.

Lucas is a right old rascal, he made out with two girls when his girlfriend went home. 

¡No me llames zorra en tu puta vida, machista!

Don’t you ever fucking call me a bitch, you pig!

Si no queremos tener pareja, las tías somos unas zorras, ¿verdad?

If we don’t want to have a boyfriend, us girls are slags, right?