The word “lionesses” makes me cringe

[bottledjoyy]

I’m sorry, I know this is irrational but something about it just makes me cringe so much. I enjoyed watching the women’s football and am all for it, but for some reason the term “Lionesses” makes me shudder with cringe.
I feel like it just makes it feel a bit infantilising? I know it’s Three Lions but not like we constantly refers to the men’s team as “the lions”. I dunno it just seems patronising and cringe.

Just me? Haha

If the England's Women's team is happy then I'm happy but if I had to find a moan, it's the face that they're the Lionesses because the men are Lions. It's the female version of the "proper" team

However Lionesses ARE better than Lions and and such, I imagine in whe wild they sand to be referred to as Lionesses not Lions by thep the animals on account of their superior Lioning

It's cringe.

Yes.. just you

I agree OP, and thought it was just me. It sounds too self conscious and cutsey somehow, and uncomfortable. They should just be England.

Lionesses are cutesy and infantile?? Seriously?? Tell that to all the zebra, springbok (incidentally, also the South African men’s rugby team) and countless other animals of which they are fearless and ruthless hunters….

I see what everyone is saying but to play Devil's advocate, all male football clubs in England have nicknames, the England male team doesn't, the women's team does - maybe makes them a bit closer to the everyday football landscape. (I know there's a niche mob who think England are the "Three Lions" but I've never heard them referred as that).

Sorry but “England” has EDLesque vibes about it that make that faintly jingoistic to me.

It’s also a rubbish name for a team just on linguistic merit alone. It’s just tweaked “Angleterre” as in “Angle-land” as in the name the Norman French called this island when they conquered it. And who were the Angles? A tribe of colonising Saxons from modern day Germany.

So we want to call our team “German Land”?

I suppose Lionesses are not that logical either as there haven’t been lions in the British Isles for 12,000 years…but the ones that were here were massive great big worshipping worthy cave lions- tied for first place as the largest species of lion to EVER exist.

I totally agree OP, and I'm so glad it's not just me.
People referencing the "Three Lions" are being indigenous. This is a passing moniker for a team of men who are largely called "England". In the men's World Cup, they're called "England" - it's the country they play for.
Using the term "Lionesses" is so incredibly patronising. It's not about the traits of an actual lioness, it's about carving out their sex and holding that trait in higher esteem than the country they play for.
Otherwise, they'd just be called "England", right?

Honestly I’m surprised the right wing media have embraced ‘Lionesses’ to the extent they have.

I’d have expected headlines about grown women identifying as cats.

I don't find the word Lionesses infantilising or patronising. A lioness is fearless, powerful, and far more agile than a lion.

It's not like they're called the Pussies or the Kitty Cats.

Isn’t this more about the fact that England men’s football team don’t tend to be called by their nickname, whereas for example the New Zealand rugby team are pretty much always referred to as The All Blacks.
Maybe, it will become more of a thing for our male teams to be called by their nicknames now there is much more interest in and media coverage of the women’s game, to distinguish them

Yes, agreed. That and the pink outfits. Eugh! So lazy and belittling

The 'niche mob who think England are the Three Lions' are the people who actually follow football and read the sports section of the newspaper, of which I'm one. The women on here who think the England men 'don't have a nickname' should stop commenting on men's football, as they don't have a clue.

Take a random recent story about an England player e.g. Mason Greenwood leaving Manchester United:

The striker has played once for the Three Lions at senior level but that cap came nearly three years ago. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manutd-mason-greenwood-next-club-30766501

At international level, Greenwood has been capped once by England but the Three Lions have not selected the player since he was arrested and charged and there is no suggestion that he will be picked by Gareth Southgate anytime soon. https://metro.co.uk/2023/08/23/jamaica-to-offer-mason-greenwood-chance-to-swap-international-teams-19382963/

The Match Of The Day presenter and ex-Three Lions captain spoke out, as it emerged United face losing millions letting Greenwood go. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/23586519/gary-lineker-on-mason-greenwood-axed-manchester-utd/

Greenwood made his Three Lions debut in a UEFA Nations League clash against Iceland on September 5, 2020, when he came on as a replacement for Harry Kane. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/mason-greenwood-england-united-allegiance-30773980

He has also won a single cap for England but has not played for the Three Lions since breaking Covid restrictions while on international duty in Iceland in 2020. https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1803166/Man-Utd-Mason-Greenwood-Premier-League-news

It’s the same with all or most (mens) international football teams. All/most do have nicknames but they’re not widely used. It’s differing rugby.

different in*

It is absolutely used (by the media at least, never hear it from fans) but at a much lower rate. Even in that first article you posted, it’s ‘England’ 8 times and Three Lions once.

With the women’s team it seems to be flipped.

@Piglet5583

I’ll get off my soap box now!

Please don’t :)

I don’t think it’s a great for equality if the men’s team is known as England and the women’s team gets a cute nickname. In Australian sport every national team has a nickname, men and women. It’s a cultural norm.

I like it! Maybe it's because women's football (I think?) took off in the USA before Europe, and tend to use team nicknames?

I think it's nice to say "we're going to watch the lionesses" rather than "we are watching the women's England football team"

You’re too intelligent to be on this site, uh I meant thread. Just letting you know 😂

I agree, i was cringing a bit earlier when they were playing little mix ‘salute’ while talking about the lioness’ on tv. It felt so false and patronising like ‘woo, go girls’ 🙄😂

It's because the men's team is just 'England' / 'The England team'. The women's team have a nickname because they are women.

It's the whole 'male is the default' issue.

I think they should just be referred to as England/ the England team or if they have a nickname, have a non-gendered one.

^^ This.

Calling them 'Lionesses' draws more attention to their gender than the country they play for.

They should be 'England'. Like the male team.