Douchebag, Asshat, or plain ol' Jerk?

I object to the word "pussy" to mean weak while "balls" is a measure of strength, because those words are so gendered and their use implied that the described characteristic was emblematic of the (binary) gender that had them.

I overthink language generally, and one result of such overthink is my affection for the use of the word "douche" as an insult. Such use is relatively modern; furthermore, no one seems to know what it's supposed to mean.

The fact that it's an innocuous French word meaning "shower" is irrelevant. In American English, "douche" always carries its "feminine freshness" connotation. Therefore when "douche" is used as an insult, it's obvious to me what it means, and what it means is exactly what makes it a genius insult. It's a matter of medical consensus that douching is useless at best, and more likely harmful. So there you go. Next time you reflexively call someone a "douche," you might be surprised to find out how well the description of "useless at best, harmful at worst," applies to said person.

Furthermore, one has the option to more specifically insult someone as a "douche nozzle" and "douche bag,"
both of which are a step below "douche" because they're merely an accessory to a douche. Further, a douche bag is of an older model of douche, while a douche nozzle it typically disposable, so the insult lends itself to a fair amount of customization.

And if "douche" or any of its variants don't turn out to be the right insult, find the right one.

On the matter of insults, I'd like to lament the once-effective term "asshat." While I don't know its particular origin, it is from the early days of message boards and the like; what would evolve into social media. Its original definition was "a descriptor for someone whose head is so far up their own ass that they're wearing their ass for a hat."

It's beautifully specific, making it my favorite kind of insult. Unfortunately, in common message board parlance it's become a synonym for "asshole," which accomplishes nothing other than to make the person using it think they're being clever.

To return to the point, "douche" and its variations are excellent, non-sexist insults which capture certain phenomena quite specifically. I fully encourage its appropriate use.