Sexism & Language

The essay on sexism and language is the article that mostly caught my attention because of the fact that I, along with the rest of society, deal with sexist language everyday.

In my opinion, it is inappropriate to compare women to food or animals. Whether it be positive or negative connotations that we receive, most of the comparisons used are rude and un-called for.

Take calling a woman a "fox" or a "kitten" for example; those names imply that a woman has sex appeal and/or good looks and they are merely being judged based on that alone. You would never hear a woman be called a "dolphin" because of her intelligence and ability to follow instructions profusely. You'll also never hear a woman be compared to a whale for her great parenting skills and amazing maternal instincts. They are usually compare to such animals if they are heavy-set or overweight. Woman are mostly compare to things based on their appearance or attitude alone.

These unpleasant comparisons are directed towards men as well. When men are called "ducks", it implies that they are un-masculine. If they are filthy or harassing towards women, they are considered "pigs". The word "dog" is usually applied to men if they sleep around with different women and treat each of them with disregard.

I think it's interesting how we live in a society that has come to accept this language and how we have separated neutral words into to categories: feminine and masculine. Adjectives are examples of such words. For instance, we may consider a woman beautiful if she has a nice appearance, yet we would rather regard to man's good looks as handsome.

This article may help people realize how sexism is beginning to grow more in society and that we need to put a stop to it so that men and woman may be treated equally and with respect.