As someone not too familiar with American cultures, I'd probably make an assumption and go for the (to me) more masculine bird over the docile and flower loving bee, since bees have stingers that they normally would never use and birds have beaks/peckers.
I've only ever heard bird used as working class slang for a woman in Britain.
Hmm, well, I have heard women being compared to singing birds (or more degrading as vultures or pen of hens if in group), but I've more often heard women being romantically compared to bees or flowers. Though, I don't think I've ever heard men being compared to bees, but often to birds (eagles, vultures, seagulls, etc.).
Might also be local culture, as I usually think of harmony, nature, and perhaps matriarchy when pondering bees, while birds seem much more gender neutral, like, standoff-ish, elegant, brutal, impulsive, egoistic, even presented as predatory and evil in children movies and some media.
So, using common stereotyping, you can see where I'm coming from.
Maybe that's where I heard it? Dunno, it's certainly not current by any stretch.
Thank you for the explanation.
As someone not too familiar with American cultures, I'd probably make an assumption and go for the (to me) more masculine bird over the docile and flower loving bee, since bees have stingers that they normally would never use and birds have beaks/peckers.
I've only ever heard bird used as working class slang for a woman in Britain.
Hmm, well, I have heard women being compared to singing birds (or more degrading as vultures or pen of hens if in group), but I've more often heard women being romantically compared to bees or flowers. Though, I don't think I've ever heard men being compared to bees, but often to birds (eagles, vultures, seagulls, etc.).
Might also be local culture, as I usually think of harmony, nature, and perhaps matriarchy when pondering bees, while birds seem much more gender neutral, like, standoff-ish, elegant, brutal, impulsive, egoistic, even presented as predatory and evil in children movies and some media.
So, using common stereotyping, you can see where I'm coming from.
Maybe that's where I heard it? Dunno, it's certainly not current by any stretch.