I understand you guys, but Brooke calling Stephanie a slut would have been cringe. Really cringe. For me. I mean... compared to Brooke, Stephanie is Mary of Nazareth. Brooke earned that title - it belongs to her and nobody else. LOL. And let's not forget that what happened with Massimo and Stephanie was a stupid rewrite done in 2002 after 15 years of story - the basis of which Stephanie was calling Brooke a whore, a bitch in heat, a slut, a tramp, a prostitute and etc. We can have another re-write in 2 years revealing that Stephanie was a hooker for a year, but that won't change the fact that the characters were meant to be opposites and on the different ends of the spectrum.
And that storyline was completely in contrary to couple of DNA tests done in the 90s, especially the one where Brooke was testing if Ridge or Eric was the father of her baby. It would be quite hard to conceal that these two men are not related at all. AT ALL. That they don't have any DNA likeness.
2002's reveal was one of Bradley cheap tricks to scandalize and turn the tables. Some people loved it, I myself have a mixed opinion about it.
Yes, Stephanie was a bully and she resulted to violence. I kind of liked that they explored that aspect when it was revealed she was actually a child victim of abuse at the hands of her father. It closed up the cycle of abuser-abused-abuser. And proved the point that abuse ignites abuse.
I also have mixed opinions about this, I get that it's disturbing to some people, especially in 2024, and it should be. Violence is never the path. But it did provide us some great, great campy classic moments. The slaps I mean. I liked when Brooke returned the slap! Or even initiate it.
I think the moments where Stephanie went too far were in 1999 when she beat Brooke like a dog - this was really too much and that scene looks disturbing to me. The other slaps don't have nothing on it. It was too much. And in 2007 when Stephanie pretty much planned someone to abuse Brooke - again, crossed a line.