Men using the word "Female" when referring to a woman (European, perfect)

[Stumbler.]

Words are like that. By itself they mostly don't mean much without social context. People attach meaning to their language use, sometimes with hidden connotations, sometimes not. Figuring that out is part of good communication, listening and social skills.

A girl I was friends with didn't like it at frist when I commonly used the phrase "not normal" a lot to describe people because it sounded negative to her. Later on, it became obvious that when I meant it, it wasn't always negative.

You could say, "A normal person couldn't do it. But he's not a normal person. He's brilliant!"

Yet very often we say "not normal" in a non-flattering way about people, so it was understandable why she didn't like it, even when I meant it in a neutral or positive way.

A dictionary definition misses lots of nuances.

[Northside904]

Originally Posted by sierraAZ

"A fact"?! Established by whom?! Clueless and rude ghetto "males"?!

Like I said, if you or other women get mad at being called female, that's your issue, not the person using the term. Get over it.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by NorthsideJacksonville

Like I said, if you or other women get mad at being called female, that's your issue, not the person using the term. Get over it.

As I said before, I don't have an issue. YOU do! Because we won't get over IT! We'll get over YOU!

[Austinitegirl]

Good Lord. This is the thread that won't die. Who knew that one random comment about a conversational quirk could turn into such a I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I debate??

Here's the wrap up - it clearly bothers some people, also clearly doesn't bother others (who say they "don't care" but want to be sure to post about why they don't care so much), some think it's an issue, some don't. Some think it's a valid medical/biological term that is OK to use in everyday conversation, some have enjoyed just having an excuse to type the word "b*tch" on a public forum.

I say - let's cure this thread of its chronic Bump-it disease and just let it go the way of the Dodo. There are way funner things to argue about.... beeotch.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Austinitegirl

Good Lord. This is the thread that won't die. Who knew that one random comment about a conversational quirk could turn into such a I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I debate??

Here's the wrap up - it clearly bothers some people, also clearly doesn't bother others (who say they "don't care" but want to be sure to post about why they don't care so much), some think it's an issue, some don't. Some think it's a valid medical/biological term that is OK to use in everyday conversation, some have enjoyed just having an excuse to type the word "b*tch" on a public forum.

I say - let's cure this thread of its chronic Bump-it disease and just let it go the way of the Dodo. There are way funner things to argue about.... beeotch.

And some even pay a special visit on a forum they don't participate in from other forums! How amazing is that?!

[Henna]

I liked this thread because it's about the usage of language and how small changes in word choices can make a big difference.

I did a google search on [using female as a noun] and found this topic being discussed on writing and English blogs. A Common Errors in English site lists the usage of female as a noun (when discussing a woman) as an error. female/woman

There are various other writing blogs where this is listed not as an error but something that doesn't sound right, or is insulting.

I personally would never use the word female as a noun when talking about a person. It sounds weird and wrong. I never really thought of it as insulting.

[killakoolaide]

I guess it would sound awkward if a woman referred to me as a male. Kinda dehumanizing, like the cops.

[NorCal Dude]

hearing how much female offends people and makes them get all worked up makes me want to use it more.

[Jefetio]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

hearing how much female offends people and makes them get all worked up makes me want to use it more.

You don't say

[Northside904]

I use female all the time, my women friends sometimes use female and the consensus with them is "Some women need to get off their period and stop being offended at a term used to distinguish them from the male gender."