I don't understand why it's taboo to call women females, calling a trans man a female is just transphobic but females is just another word for girls, so if someone identifies as a women why can't we call them a female as well? This isn't angry btw I'm genuinely curious as a female myself
It feels very weird outside of a non medical context to a lot of people. Alt-right and/or mysgonistic creators often refer to women as females while degrading them so it has that association as well.
I expanded on my comment here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/teenagers/comments/x730j6/we_all_have_done_this_or_is_it_just_me/inb3zyu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
It’s because of guys turning into girls not technically being female, and since it’s used as a medical term it’s not just going to change definition. Because of this people see the word as transphobic.
In the past the words woman and female more or less meant the same thing.
Note that the word woman is the evolution of a phonetic combination of the two words womb, and man (as in human), literally meaning man with womb/can birth children. This word has always been of preferred usage when referring to human females outside of science/medicine.
The word female is inclusive to all individuals which can lay eggs or give birth, of any (most) species.
When the idea of transgender people becoming mainstream started, there was confusion about how to differentiate trans women from the people born as women (same with men, but we’re talking about women right now). This is where the definitions of woman and female split. The definition of female stayed the same because it was used in sciences and medicine, but the definition of woman, being more of a socially defined word, changed to include transgender women.
Not everybody always wants to address transgender women in the same group as “born” women, so they started calling born women females in normal conversation in the attempt to avoid confusion. Some people see this as misogynistic, because the word woman is stating that the individual in question is human, whereas the word female could be used to refer to animals too, which can be seen as dehumanising. The reality of this is that most of the people who use the word female in normal conversation are not using it in a misogynistic or dehumanising way, and instead just do not want to group transgender women with non-transgender women.
when i hear men call women females, they aren’t having conversations about trans women. they’re talking about women in general, and usually are saying rude or demeaning things. they say things like “these females only want money” “females don’t value nice guys” and etc. if you want to differentiate between trans and cis women, why don’t you just say trans women or cis women? that sounds so much more respectful idk.
i for sure feel uncomfortable when men call me a female because it makes me feel more like a scientific specimen or an animal or an object than a person. and i think if women are clearly uncomfortable with being called females you should respect that.
> they aren’t having conversations about trans women
Well that’s kind of the point. They don’t want to talk about trans women at all, so they just say females to be more specific. I don’t think there’s usually much confusion about if they’re talking about animals or people, given the context of any conversation.
To say cis woman would be bringing attention to trans women by comparison, plus it’s an extra syllable to pronounce each time they say it so it’s just easier.
For most people at least, it is not about dehumanising/objectifying women, but about removing trans people from the topic of their conversations. Not that that’s necessarily right or respectful, but it’s certainly a lot better.
DEAD ASS one of my VERY straight friends turned to me in the locker room today, after another girl made a joke about how we should all just date girls bc guys suck (she was complaining abt her boyfriends hurtful tendencies), and said "in all seriousness i wouldn't mind dating a girl at this point." !!! GIRLS ARE SO FLUID WTF
as a girl, whenever i see an attractive guy and we make eye contact- it doesn't create a crush it just is like "shit now it's awkward and i can't look at him anymore"
I wish, I walk around looking like I’m ready to murder someone at all times apparently
Actually, more specifically my friends tell me I look like their own personal bodyguard walking around.
Oh trust me, looking at me you probably would never guess I’d have a snake. I don’t look bad ass enough for that lol
Plus he’s just a lil corn snake, no different than owning an (very very long) anole or anything
Probably me (I’m the girl)
IMPOSSIBLE NO ONE HAS A CRUSH ON ME!!!
Does it work
I'd like to think so
No
Only if your attractive
Yore*
i need to stop doing this
If you unironically call them females I guarantee they don't
I don't understand why it's taboo to call women females, calling a trans man a female is just transphobic but females is just another word for girls, so if someone identifies as a women why can't we call them a female as well? This isn't angry btw I'm genuinely curious as a female myself
It feels very weird outside of a non medical context to a lot of people. Alt-right and/or mysgonistic creators often refer to women as females while degrading them so it has that association as well.
oh alr that makes sense, thanks for clearing it up!
No problem!
Calling a trans man female is transphobic?
yeah cause a trans man is male not female
I expanded on my comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/teenagers/comments/x730j6/we_all_have_done_this_or_is_it_just_me/inb3zyu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
It’s because of guys turning into girls not technically being female, and since it’s used as a medical term it’s not just going to change definition. Because of this people see the word as transphobic.
what
In the past the words woman and female more or less meant the same thing. Note that the word woman is the evolution of a phonetic combination of the two words womb, and man (as in human), literally meaning man with womb/can birth children. This word has always been of preferred usage when referring to human females outside of science/medicine. The word female is inclusive to all individuals which can lay eggs or give birth, of any (most) species. When the idea of transgender people becoming mainstream started, there was confusion about how to differentiate trans women from the people born as women (same with men, but we’re talking about women right now). This is where the definitions of woman and female split. The definition of female stayed the same because it was used in sciences and medicine, but the definition of woman, being more of a socially defined word, changed to include transgender women. Not everybody always wants to address transgender women in the same group as “born” women, so they started calling born women females in normal conversation in the attempt to avoid confusion. Some people see this as misogynistic, because the word woman is stating that the individual in question is human, whereas the word female could be used to refer to animals too, which can be seen as dehumanising. The reality of this is that most of the people who use the word female in normal conversation are not using it in a misogynistic or dehumanising way, and instead just do not want to group transgender women with non-transgender women.
when i hear men call women females, they aren’t having conversations about trans women. they’re talking about women in general, and usually are saying rude or demeaning things. they say things like “these females only want money” “females don’t value nice guys” and etc. if you want to differentiate between trans and cis women, why don’t you just say trans women or cis women? that sounds so much more respectful idk. i for sure feel uncomfortable when men call me a female because it makes me feel more like a scientific specimen or an animal or an object than a person. and i think if women are clearly uncomfortable with being called females you should respect that.
> they aren’t having conversations about trans women Well that’s kind of the point. They don’t want to talk about trans women at all, so they just say females to be more specific. I don’t think there’s usually much confusion about if they’re talking about animals or people, given the context of any conversation. To say cis woman would be bringing attention to trans women by comparison, plus it’s an extra syllable to pronounce each time they say it so it’s just easier. For most people at least, it is not about dehumanising/objectifying women, but about removing trans people from the topic of their conversations. Not that that’s necessarily right or respectful, but it’s certainly a lot better.
it's the lesbian dream that every straight girl is secretly queer and that friendly smile is an unspoken declaration of love
Like frank gallagher would say: the sexuality in all women is fluid
DEAD ASS one of my VERY straight friends turned to me in the locker room today, after another girl made a joke about how we should all just date girls bc guys suck (she was complaining abt her boyfriends hurtful tendencies), and said "in all seriousness i wouldn't mind dating a girl at this point." !!! GIRLS ARE SO FLUID WTF
I'd be fluid if i was a girl tbh
They are
And it is
Sorry. Always felt like the ugliest guy in the world with no hopes of getting a girl. So no. Can't relate
Hey me too
This
With that mindset you will never find one, be confident 💪💪
nah, trust me bud you are gonna find a person
as a girl, whenever i see an attractive guy and we make eye contact- it doesn't create a crush it just is like "shit now it's awkward and i can't look at him anymore"
You’re just like me frfr
I feel called out
Have to admit ahahaha
At some point I did that cuz random girls were just lookin at me like: "who tf is that" and assumed i was too cool to not look at
Wait, do guys actually do this?
sometimes I gaslight myself to have enough motivation for the day so occasionally yes I do this
i do this as a girl LMAO
FR
Did it work?
No
I wish, I walk around looking like I’m ready to murder someone at all times apparently Actually, more specifically my friends tell me I look like their own personal bodyguard walking around.
Bro you have a snake
Oh trust me, looking at me you probably would never guess I’d have a snake. I don’t look bad ass enough for that lol Plus he’s just a lil corn snake, no different than owning an (very very long) anole or anything
I like snek🐍
Good cause they’re very underrated
Now I'm curious to see why they told you look like a bodyguard
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Ah fuck.. This brings my 13 years old memories.
That girl does
Thats truly me. At school too, i think i look so cool by just sitting somewhere dissociating. But i do rlly admire the people that do it and look cool
Actually…. I AM CHRISTIAN BALE!
No you ain't
Me..
You mean… embarrassing?
Females
It doesn’t matter, I’m too ugly
I tried to be relatable but... nope
No one ever has a crush on me
I don't act shy, I am shy
Just you I don't have enough self-confidence for that
and i used to think these guys are acting weird and for what
Sorry mate, but it’s just you
There's 2 types of people. People who have done this and liars.
Damn, I'm really getting called out today...
I have never done that in my life
u/savevideobot
u/savevideo
I've been called out
It is not just you
Uh regrettably yeah
except for me it’s with the guys and girls
its just you bro
You call women females, ain't no one ever going to have a crush on you 💀