There was an interesting (and timely) question on Quora about when the word douchebag entered common parlance, with some good answers given: http://www.quora.c

There was an interesting (and timely) question on Quora about when the word douchebag entered common parlance, with some good answers given: http://www.quora.com/English-language/When-did-the-term-douchebag-enter-the-popular-parlance http://www.quora.com/English-language/When-did-the-term-douc... Seems like its use as a nickname/insult really exploded in the 70's and 80's. I'd tend to agree that tying the word to sexism is a bit of a stretch--it's probably just being used because it sounds like a naughty word, and anything more explicit or profane wouldn't get past the censors.