Refraining from using Sexist Language is More than Just Politically Correct

By Julia Jackson
Refraining from using language that is sexist, derogatory and violent towards women is not just
about being politically correct, like some political figures (Donald Trump) try to convince us.
Refraining from misogynist and sexist language is about refraining from continually degrading a
specific group of people. Words have a powerful impact. And when those words are being used
to belittle the biggest group of marginalized people in the world, (women make up almost half of
the world and encompass all walks of life) then that has a powerfully negative impact on the
individual woman and society as a whole. How can you go out into the world and do amazing
things when you are constantly coming up against language and actions that treat you like you
dont matter? Being a woman, or other group of people, who others are constantly putting down
through language, and eventually, in actions, gets into individuals and societals psyches. And
yet, this is something Trump, and others like him, refuse to see.
Since being called out on his comment about Megyn Kelly (which, he says. wasnt referring to
menstruation) Trump has written, So many politically correct fools in our country. We have to
all get back to work and stop wasting time and energy on nonsense! Sure. Why not avoid being
derogatory, while also getting back to work? I dont see how watching ones mouth conflicts
with getting things done. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
The other day, this man came to the grocery store where I sometimes cashier, and berated me
about political correctness and attacked my character when I kindly asked him not to call me
cutie pie. Its like calling a full-grown man something like little champ. I feel as though Im
being knocked down a peg, reduced to a child when someone calls me names. So its just a
respect-thing to me. But this guy couldnt see it that way and instead loudly accosted me at my
place of work, calling me ugly, and then saying, You just wanna be called Julia, with a capital
J. In hindsight thats a hilarious statement, because, yeah: Thats my name, and all names are
capitalized. So yes. The next person who came through my line was a frequent customer and a
nice guy, so I told him about the encounter when he genuinely asked how I was. But he just
mansplained the whole thing away.
History is written in words, which are written by the winners. And perceptions of the world
around us are dictated by the diction available to us. Words may not physically break bones,
but lets face it; Everything we think or say, boils down to the language we have
available. Words are the building blocks for intellect and interaction. So what happens when
people degrade women through language? Lets take a look at English curse words, for example.
(Caution: Curse words ahead.)
Have you ever thought about just how many offensive-towards-women-words there are? B*tch,
slut, c*nt, ball buster and whore, are just a few examples, with cringe worthy feelings associated

with each of them. Nearly all the curse words available do not have male counterparts. Have you
ever thought about why?
I happen to appreciate the occasional, well placed curse word. I think it adds flair and spice to
conversation. The F-bomb is a lovely descriptor, in my opinion. But I wish there was more of a
rainbow of curse words available, instead of the sh*t sandwich of degrading-to-women
curse words we have today. The variety of derogatory-women-words makes it all the more easy
to verbally degrade women more so than men.
If the majority of curse words are referring to women, how does that make us view women? It
can get into the human psyche. Oh son of a b*tch. So the root of what is wrong in this situation
is a son who came from a bad woman hmm. Lets try another. You p*ssy! So the person
in question is not being strong and is therefore equated with a slang word for a female body part.
Even negative words meant to describe men are rooted back to females or female actions. What
a douche bag. A douche bag is something women sometimes use. (Hopefully sparingly, or not at
all though, since it can be harmful.) So, doing a female-related action in this scenario is
equivalent to something negative? Say youre expressing discontent with someone and trying to
diminish him or her verbally: Yeah yeah, suck my dick. To perform oral sex on a man is often
an action hetero-women do. So yet again, weve come back around to whatever women do or are
associated with, is linked with a bad word. Often times, this is not at the forefront of the speaker,
but it is always there within the word.
But even in other languages, such as Spanish, we come up against the problem of curse words
disproportionately disfavoring women. In Spanish, the term hijo de perra/puta translates to
son of a bitch/slut. When I lived in Chile, one of the most common cursing-phrases people
would say was, Concha de tu madre, which roughly translates to your mothers p*ssy. But
the worst one, in my opinion is valio madre, which means it was worth mother meaning,
something is fucked and not worth anything. Wow.
Recently, a term has emerged that, for a change, doesnt degrade women, and actually describes
a male. F*ckboy has become a term to describe a guy who is sexist, arrogant and plays girls. On
Urban Dictionary you can find definitions such as: F*ckboys are mostly heterosexual young
men who use sexist language, throw around homophobic slurs, think all girls are either sluts or
objects, thinks rape jokes are funny, believes the friend zone is real, usually are quite
misogynistic and embody ignorance on every level. and another definition, stating, one
who is into strictly sexual relationships; he will lead a girl on and let her down, then apologize
only to ask for pics once the girl has welcomed him back into her trust. Boys like this will
pretend to genuinely care about the girl but always fail to prove the supposed affection.
Granted, some of the definitions on Urban Dictionary for f*ckboy use the problematic term
p*ssy, which merely makes my point again. Some may view the appreciation of the term
hypocritical, yet the reason I view the term f*ckboy as progress, is because terms like this are
helpful in making women more able to express their concerns, for a change, about what happens
in their lives. And this word knocks bigotry, another plus. Without the language to express

emotions, it is challenging to legitimize ones experience, especially when the majority of curse
words are stacked against you, describing women.
The first Urban Dictionary definition brings up another point: The use of the word rape,
colloquially. I cringe to my core every time I hear someone casually throw the word around. Oh
dude I just totally raped you in video games! This is a statement I actually heard in real life one
day. My response was Hey, do you think you could use a different word next time? But how do
people think it is ok to throw a word around like that? It diminishes one of the most heinous
crimes that, affects hundreds of thousands of people for the rest of their lives.
The hardest part about getting people to realize how screwed up it is to use the word rape
casually, is that there is no comparison. You cant say, Look, using the word rape, is like X. Its
hard for some people to really get it. Rape is a unique and horrific crime that affects both women
and men, but women disproportionately. Women live in fear of rape. So tossing the word around
like its no big deal, personally, really gets to me. Because it normalizes the most horrific of
crimes.
Ultimately, we need better terms in order for female actions to become normalized and womens
experiences and actions to be less marginalized. Refraining from using sexist language is an
important piece to empowering women. How can women become fully equal and empowered,
when use of language does the opposite? Women need to be a part of the words that we all form
our worldly and societal perceptions around, and not just in curse words and the absence of
sexism. We need to make our own widely used words, positive and negative. As a start for the
positive side, whos with me on bringing the word bitchin back into style and calling each other
queens? (Broad City anyone?) Words are not only at the forefront of interaction and thought,
they are also the building blocks of subconscious levels of thought, which can, and do, become
reality.
Have you ever walked into a grocery store and come out with a song stuck in your head that you
hadnt realized was playing in the store? Thats what I think about, when I think of the impact of
language. You dont always notice it, but it is there, getting stuck in your head. That vocabulary,
which is so stuck in all of our heads, defines how we think and interact with the world. Words
matter. So lets get rid of the sexism and get some better lady-terms up in here. Word up.