Sunday, January 13, 2008

Stuff that Creeps Me Out

Does it really bug anybody else when men refer to women as "females"?

Why do guys do this? I'd like to think it's because they're including "women and girls" in their description, so "females" is supposed to mean "all female-gendered persons in particular," but I don't go around saying, "I haven't been with many males," or "Some males really like back rubs" or "Males enjoy gardening."

It makes it sound like the men - "males" - in question are just dogs.

4 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

Bad Decision Maker said...

It sounds weird to my ears too. But I know women that refer to other women (and sometimes themselves) as females.

orsh said...

I think that (90% of the time) when someone does that they are trying to sound more scientific and thus more authoritative.

It's so often attached to a sexist bullshit claim that I automatically start to scowl when I hear "females."

Gigi said...

OMG, not only does it bug me/piss me off, but it bugs me that nobody talks about it!

When referring to a girl under the age of 18, then one should say "girl." Otherwise one should say "woman."

/rant

Kameron Hurley said...

I got used to seeing this usage on anti-woman sites or from antisocial folks who had trouble getting dates, but what threw me was seeing this on a site that purportedly giving advice on how to have a "good relationship" with "females."

So, "Females enjoy it when you cook them dinner."

I was like, WTF, man, WTF?

Females also appreciate it when you refer to them as human beings, not gendered mammals.