Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez inspires women to stand up for themselves

Ocasio-Cortez wasn't just calling out a male colleague for vulgar words aimed at her. She was calling out a culture of abusive language against women. Photos: AP Photo

ASK a woman if she’s been called the B-word by a man – perhaps modified by the F-adjective – and chances are she’ll say,"You mean ever, or how many times?”

Because most women will tell you it’s a pretty universal experience, especially if they've held a position of power in the workplace. "I’d say, maybe 25 times?” estimates Ellen Gerstein, who spent years in technology publishing, a fairly male-dominated field, before becoming a pharmaceutical executive. "And that’s just to my face.”