Page 5 | 'Females.'

Toenailz · 2024-11-24T04:47:52+00:00

Anyone else cringe when people refer to women as 'females' in the context of completely casual conversation? And also wonder where the fuck it started and why it's become so popular? Usually utilised by men referring to women as 'females' and, on here, usually by scorned women referring to another woman that their DH is being in some way inappropriate with, as 'another female' or 'a female'. Yeah yeah, the correct biological terms and all, but can't help feeling this has a rather sexist connotation to reduce women to less, as usual?

Penguinmouse · 24/11/2024 08:46

Makes my skin crawl. Just say women.

StringOrNothing · 24/11/2024 08:45

ChocolateTelephone · 24/11/2024 08:32

It’s actually not the correct term. ‘Female’ is an adjective. The noun is ‘woman’. That’s why it feels so off. It is also deeply associated with misogynistic incel types, who exclusive use it to refer to women specifically to dehumanise us.

Yes, this. "Female people" is fine. "Females" whiffs of incel.

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:42

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:40

I don't need to! Female is the correct term for biologically born women & girls. Sex cannot be changed.

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You're completely missing my point.

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:42

GretchenWienersHair · 24/11/2024 08:40

This is where I see it more, too. Outside of MN, most trans-related posts I come across are in support of trans people so I rarely see “female” used to differentiate (I’d more likely see words like “ciswoman” over female in these contexts). Unfortunately many incel types do crop up on my feeds, usually from people I follow on X arguing against them, but I definitely see “female” used as a euphemism for “bitches” from those types.

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Absolutely. Funnily enough, the article I just linked to suggests doing a search for, "Females" on Twitter to show this. That article was from 2015, so it's not very recent, but it still stands.

Bridgetomalley · 24/11/2024 08:41

ChocolateTelephone · 24/11/2024 08:32

It’s actually not the correct term. ‘Female’ is an adjective. The noun is ‘woman’. That’s why it feels so off. It is also deeply associated with misogynistic incel types, who exclusive use it to refer to women specifically to dehumanise us.

"Female" can be a noun or an adjective.

Suzuki76 · 24/11/2024 08:41

I also hate "DH is messaging a female at work". As someone said, it's not grammatically correct, and also - just call her a woman. It's dehumanising and half the time the poor woman doesn't want your lecherous husband messaging her in the first place.

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:40

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:40

Did you even read the article?

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I don't need to! Female is the correct term for biologically born women & girls. Sex cannot be changed.

GretchenWienersHair · 24/11/2024 08:40

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:37

I think it's an issue. It's an incel thing. Incels are dangerous.

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This is where I see it more, too. Outside of MN, most trans-related posts I come across are in support of trans people so I rarely see “female” used to differentiate (I’d more likely see words like “ciswoman” over female in these contexts). Unfortunately many incel types do crop up on my feeds, usually from people I follow on X arguing against them, but I definitely see “female” used as a euphemism for “bitches” from those types.

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:40

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:39

But if you are born female you are female & always will be so it's the correct title for you based on the sex you were born!

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Did you even read the article?

AgnesX · 24/11/2024 08:39

My FiL who's 80 uses it and annoys me. He's an old age (and old school) Daily Mail reader so there's nothing else to say.

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:39

JubileeJuice · 24/11/2024 08:35

I usually point people to this article when they want to know why I am a woman and not a "female".

https://www.jezebel.com/the-problem-with-calling-women-females-1683808274

See also, "Guys". I'm not a guy.

DieStrassensindimmernass · 24/11/2024 08:33

I have no issue with the word female, in fact I prefer it to woman or girl, and it encompasses all age groups. I've got a scientific background though, we used the term male and female a lot.

ChocolateTelephone · 24/11/2024 08:32

It’s actually not the correct term. ‘Female’ is an adjective. The noun is ‘woman’. That’s why it feels so off. It is also deeply associated with misogynistic incel types, who exclusive use it to refer to women specifically to dehumanise us.

TheMotherShipAhoy · 24/11/2024 08:29

People feel women is somehow 'too much'. Colleagues and acquaintances of mine who are broadly apolitical and not particularly switched on to anything pertaining to gender and the debate surrounding sex-based rights of the last decade still avoid using the word women, I notice, in favour of euphemisms such as females or ladies.
I'm not sure whether ‐I'm in my 50s- women still feels political as in 'women's lib' and people flinch a bit for this reason.
Weirdly, it is the same in my European home language ‐'women' definitely has a political flavour which some try to avoid. Bizarre.

EvilsElsasPetSnowman · 24/11/2024 08:24

No and I am surprised how much it bothers people. In the age of identity politics i prefer to use female because apparently woman can mean “man in dress who wears lipstick”

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:08

GretchenWienersHair · 24/11/2024 08:02

@Trumped I know what you mean, but I think there’s a difference in tone when it’s used by different people for different purposes. You can tell what the intent is based on the context of the conversation.

I think I know what you mean. But the term has become extremely popular in the mainstream realm as female only refers to biolocally born females. A lot of media talk about female only prisons, female single spaces, female sports teams & there needs to be as it stops diluting the Gender ideology & highlights again there are only two sex.

sel2223 · 24/11/2024 08:04

I have spent not a single second thinking about this before reading the thread and now, moving forward, will spend not a single second more thinking about it.

A total non issue.

GretchenWienersHair · 24/11/2024 08:02

@Trumped I know what you mean, but I think there’s a difference in tone when it’s used by different people for different purposes. You can tell what the intent is based on the context of the conversation.

Trumped · 24/11/2024 08:00

GretchenWienersHair · 24/11/2024 07:56

YANBU. I once saw someone on Twitter say “men use ‘females’ when they want to say ‘bitches’”, and honestly it checks out. Look at any sentence you see online with the word “females” instead of “women” and replace it with “bitches” and their tone and meaning comes through so much more clearly.

Well many women now use female as they word cannot include men want to be women or identify as they /them or she /her.
It's a great word & wonderful to see it's use becoming more mainstream. It cuts out a lot of bollox (pardon the unintended pun!)

barofsoap · 24/11/2024 07:59

I prefer "Ladies"

Trumped · 24/11/2024 07:58

Hateam · 24/11/2024 07:53

It must be endlessly draining going through life actively looking for ways to be offended.

Absolutely! Imagine being offended by the word female.. Sure the human world (& animal world for that matter!) is made up of two sexes which can never be changed (unless you're a seahorse I think they can but humans can't !)