To ask why actresses are now referred to as actors

[SylvieHortensis]

I know it's been going on for a while but when did it start and why?

What's wrong with a woman being called an actress?

If we want a gender neutral word, why not call men actresses too?

@SylvieHortensis

If a nurse who is male becomes a "Sister" what is his title?

Then they are a charge nurse. Many units now use the non-gendered term of Charge Nurse as default, but some females prefer to be Sister in conversation.

Interestingly I’ve known many Matron’s who are male who don’t give two hoots about being called Matron though

Not sure if this has already been said but I read recently that the word “actress” was historically associated with prostitution. Many female actors have thus declined to use this term to remove themselves from the historical connotations of the word and describe themselves as what they are, actors.

No idea if this true or not but I have literally just read it somewhere.

No idea if this true or not but I have literally just read it somewhere
Um, yes, on page one
On the Sister/Matron front, yes RCN has started to change terminology so as not to put men off applying for the roles, but hasn’t Midwife been wholeheartedly embraced by men? Am I correct in thinking that?

It irritates the hell out of me that the default is male. If I were a thespian I’d insist on being called an actress.

Because I'm not an accountantess

Do we still have WPCs?

@Alsohuman

It irritates the hell out of me that the default is male. If I were a thespian I’d insist on being called an actress.

The default isn't male. The actor describes the role, a person who acts. It covers both male and female.

@Bluetrews25

Do we still have WPCs?

No we don't

Funny you should say that, this from that same LA Times article, apparently the ‘shameful’ connotation went right back to almost the beginning of its use, at least in. England, around late 17th early 18th century:

But does anyone think of that connotation these days? I don't see that people currently have make that connection. Words change their meanings. Actress used to be low status. Now being a successful actress is high status.

Good! Thanks Marguerite. It never sounded or felt right.

So why are there awards for actors and actresses, surely there should be no distinction?

Because I'm not an accountantess

Not the same. Actress has been used for centuries.

When I hear ridiculous outdated terms such as ‘lady doctor’ I enjoy employing my own such as ‘male engineer ‘ , ‘male dentist’ etc to emphasise the silliness of gendered job titles .

'-or' is an agentive suffix.

If I remember my Latin declension properly, it's the English version of -tor, so theoretically the feminine form should be -rix, so actrix?

Actrix, doctrix, lawyrix etc.

The world would be much more interesting if we explored language.

Well cos actor was the original term (no women on stage in Ancient Greece/Tudor England). Then from 18th century actress was a term synonymous with loose morals/kept women and often literally prostitution.

Then in 20th century came the casting couch, fewer and lesser roles (leading lady but rarely the lead), a total dearth of roles after the studio system collapsed (they could barely scrape together 5 lead actress Oscar nominees in the 70s), plus the casting couch.

These days there is still the idea actresses can’t open films, they get consistently paid less, have shorter careers, far fewer roles, usually smaller roles, less developed characters, only play against men, cast alomgside men much older... plus me too.

So all in all it’s a term associated with being lesser, so most female actors would rather be called actors because they think it goes some way to moving away from all of the above.

The reason most people wouldn’t support loosing the male/female award split is because male actors still have far more roles and often better roles, so having separate awards helps the visibility of women in TV and film, so aids equality for now. Hopefully one day it won’t be needed.

All of this also true of theatre, though perhaps a little less..

Another I hate is 'chair' for chairman/chairwoman. People aren't bits of furniture.

Wow. The drama.

If you love the English language so much, google homographs.

'Actor in a male role' 'Actor in a female role' ?
In the past I would have been described as a lady farmer because female farmers were quite unusual. Then again 'gentleman farmer' has quite a different meaning ie a rich non hands on farmer.

It's quite a recent change isn't it. I still say things like actress and think WPC for a female police officer and I'm 'only' 36. When I first started work (so only 20 years ago) I had a manageress and I have been a waitress.

It does seem very silly when you think about it. There's no need to describe a persons sex in relation to their profession.

I’ve been referred to as a ‘chippy lady’ before now by colleagues or apprentices who don’t know my name as I’m a carpenter. I think it sounds more like I work in a chip shop

I watched an interview with an American actor about 20yrs ago, she said she preferred the term actor as she started out in the theatre and in theatrical terms they used actor not actress. I've never heard this anywhere else, so not sure if it's true or if it is an American thing.

@lljkk

Because there is no need to differentiate by sex when talking about someone's profession.

Then every male actor could have been called actress.

It feels to me like Actress has been dropped because it was perceived as somehow shameful & inferior. Normally we don't drop words so suddenly unless they have ugly connotations. That actress (or seamstress, or stewardess now have ugly connotations) -- It dismays me that actress is now a 'dirty' word.

Vive la difference!

I sometimes get impression that some feminists only want sex differences acknowledged that seem to put females at disadvantage so they can use the alleged difference in a campaigning programme.
Otherwise want to pretend all other sex differences are irrelevant to anything in the human experience. I don't know where to start in disagreeing with that. Different doesn't have to mean bad, unless you want it to.

Its very simple. When biological sex means there is a difference, it should be noted so that one group is not placed at a disadvantage. (e.g. sports categories, prisons.)

When sex is irrelevant there's no good reason to point out the difference. Doing so has often been used to place one group at a disadvantage.

OK?

I'm female and a landlord and would never call myself a landlady.

Nah I'd call myself a landlady, as its the closest I'll get to the title of Lady. Would make me feel posh.

In all honesty though, this is nothing I can get worked up over or care about. They are words, as long as they aren't being used in a malicious way, it doesn't register to me as a problem.

My absolute favourite is fornicaTRIX.

Play it again, Sam.

@DentonsFringeArnottsWaistcoat

No idea if this true or not but I have literally just read it somewhere Um, yes, on page one On the Sister/Matron front, yes RCN has started to change terminology so as not to put men off applying for the roles, but hasn’t Midwife been wholeheartedly embraced by men? Am I correct in thinking that?

Yes, but the word midwife means with woman so the word wife in midwife refers to the woman giving birth not to the person who is assisting.

If the best actress award was dropped women would hardly ever win.
It would simply be called the best female actor.