Our language is androcentric. Many common expressions are deprecating women. Even our songs convey sexist messages. What is the impact on our self-esteem? And what can we do about it?

1. The subliminal power of
words

2. Our language is androcentric
• Male is generic: mankind,
manpower, manmade…
• The masculine, by the
presence of even one male,
is the default.
• "Every student in the
classroom did his best on
the exam."
• Even greeting mixed groups

5. Masculine is universal
• In our gendered language:
– “Mr.” can refer to any man, regardless of whether
he is single or married, but “Miss” and “Mrs.” define
women by their civil status.
– Women are identified as appendages both of a
man and of an institution: Corporate wives, Senate
wives, faculty wives
– Writers sometimes refer to women using only their
first names in contexts where they would typically
refer to men by their full names, last names, or
titles.

7. Language shapes our thinking
• Culture defines reality. And language
determines how we interpret it.
• When the language excludes women,
the mental image created also excludes
women.

10. On top of it, every day, we use
words and languages with a
sexist connotation without
even being aware of it

11. When doing something like a girl is an
insult

14. When leadership skill is seen as
a turn-off

18. When we engage in victim
blaming
• "What were you
wearing?”
• "How much did
you have to
drink?"
• "Why didn't you
do ____?"

25. When strong is bad

28. When we associate strength and
courage with masculinity

31. When your genitals condition your
courage and inner strength

32. When your genitals condition your
courage and internal strength

34. When sharing emotions is not
masculine enough

35. When we suppose that women
are in constant competition
• When two men or groups of men are
debating, we call it debating, or
discussion. If they yell, we call it
robust, or heated. Or Parliament.
• When two groups of women are
debating, let’s call it debating, too.
• #malegaze

36. When we “tone police” women
• “I would listen to you if you
were not so aggressive /
angry / …”
• “I will talk to you when you
will have calmed down.”
• Patronizing way of focusing
more on the tone than the
content
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOMLBfBsf8w

38. Receiving unsolicited instructions on
how we should look, think and act
Image credit: StopTellingWomentoSmile.com

40. And dismissing it all as if it did
not matter

42. A woman should not be
• Bossy.
• Abrasive.
• A ball-buster.
• Aggressive.
• Shrill.
• Bolshy.
• Intense.
• Stroppy.
• Forward.
• Mannish.
• Gossipy.
• Dramatic (as in Drama
Queen).
• Catty.
• Bitchy.
• Nag.
• Cold.
• Ice queen.
• Shrew.
• Humourless.
• Man-hater.

43. Defining women by their relationship
to men and children
• Spinster.
• Barren.
• She wears the pants.
• Housewife.
• Houseproud.
• Soccer mom.
• Mistress.
• Kept woman.

44. GLOSSARYOFTERMS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS FROM UNSPINNING THE SPIN: THE WOMEN’S
MEDIA CENTER GUIDE TO FAIR + ACCURATE LANGUAGE
Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair & Accurate Language, by Rosalie Maggio is based
on research by the Women’s Media Center. Our findings show that language not only reveals or conceals reality,
but creates imagery that becomes the basis for our actions and thus shapes reality itself.
Unspinning the Spin is a more comprehensive and multidisciplinary guide to words and phrases—their meanings,
sources, backgrounds, suggested uses, and alternatives—than has been published so far. It is a guide for journalists
and editors in this and other countries, for bloggers creating their own media and government officials creating policy,
for students and teachers at all levels, for activists, for workers in communication fields, and for any reader who loves
the English language.
Below is a selection of terms excerpted from Unspinning the Spin, the full version of which will be available for down-
load from www.womensmediacenter.com in 2012.
Rosalie Maggio, the author of Unspinning the Spin, has been a well-recognized and well-read authority on language
for more than 20 years. In 1991, she published The Dictionary of Bias-Free Usage: A Guide to Non-Discriminatory
Language that won awards from the American Library Association and the Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights.
It led to her further authoritative and creative books on language.
A
aggressive “aggressive,” and its more negative syn-
onym “pushy,” are often used disparagingly of women
and Jews. Deborah Tannen (Gender and Discourse)
suggests that the “stereotype of Jews as aggressive and
pushy results in part from differences in conversational
style.” In the lead opinion in the court case of a woman
who failed to be named a partner because she was
considered too aggressive, Walter Brennan wrote, “An
employer who objects to aggressiveness in women but
whose positions require this trait places women in an
intolerable and impermissible Catch-22: out of a job
if they behave aggressively and out of a job if they
don’t.” When pollster Celinda Lake asked observers to
rate women and men reading the same text at identical
decibel levels, the women were invariably described as
louder, more aggressive, and shrill. Of a related term,
Marlo Thomas says, “A man has to be Joe McCarthy to
be called ruthless. All a woman has to do is put you on
B
balls acceptable sex-specific word when it means tes-
ticles. For inclusive metaphorical use, substitute with:
guts, moxie, courage, nerve, bravery, self-assurance,
confidence, determination, stamina, spunk. Women
are occasionally congratulated with “That took balls!”
or encouraged with “You have the balls for it.” For
“ballbreaker/ballbuster,” meaning a difficult or com-
plicated task or situation, use: gutbuster, bunbuster,
tough row to hoe, killer, bad news, hell on wheels, no
picnic, up a tree, hell of a note, tall/large order, tough
grind/one, tough sledding, sticky business, stumper,
uphill job, tight spot. In a related expression, “testicular
fortitude” can be rendered sex-neutral with “intestinal
fortitude.”
ballsy “a term that has slipped so far from its original
mooring that it can be applied to females” (Hugh Raw-
son, Wicked Words). See also “balls.”
bimbo from the Italian for “little boy” or “little kid,” this
bitch (n.) one of the most loaded of the sexist words,
“bitch” tends to be directed at women who are “ac-
tive, direct, blunt, obnoxious, competent, loud-mouthed,
independent, stubborn, demanding, achieving, over-
whelming, lusty, strong-minded, scary, ambitious, tough,
brassy, boisterous, turbulent, sprawling, strident, strid-
ing, and large (physically and/or psychically)” (Mary
Daly). Molly Hoben (Minnesota Women’s Press) says
“Bitch—long a favorite linguistic weapon of those who
yearn to put down uppity women—has become increas-
ingly common.” She notes that in pre-Christian Greek
and Roman religions, one of the sacred titles of the
goddess Artemis-Diana was “the Great Bitch,” but like
other words with once-positive connotations for women,
“bitch” has become a pejorative used against strong
women by those who feel threatened. Minneapolis attor-
ney Rebecca Palmer says, “In the workplace setting, the
label of ‘bitch’ is often accompanied by inappropriate,
demeaning behavior. ... A number of courts around the
country have grappled with the issue of whether, from
a legal standpoint, referring to a female employee as
a ‘bitch’ is defamatory or discriminatory.” In the intro-
duction to Bitchfest, the editors of the outstanding pop
culture magazine, Bitch, write: “‘Cause here’s the thing
blonde blond. Use the shorter base word as an adjec-
tive for both sexes; historically, both have been used
for both sexes. The use of “blond” as a noun seems
reserved for women, whereas equating a man with his
hair color is uncommon. Use “blond” to modify hair
rather than to describe women (i.e., “a woman with
blond hair,” not “a blond”).
bombshell/blonde bombshell (woman) these terms are
militaristic, violent, and sexist (there is no parallel for a
man); they portray women as destructive to men, even
though superficially, they appear complimentary.
brunette although the base (male) term is “brunet,” it
is rarely used, most likely because referring to people’s
hair color is largely reserved for women. Can you imag-
ine calling a man “a brunet”? Question the labeling of
women by facets of their appearance and the need to
talk about their hair.
butch (woman) usage of “butch” follows the “insider/
outsider” rule, i.e., it is acceptable for lesbians who
want to use the term; it is generally unacceptable for
non-lesbians to use it.
C
ates + Politicians
rls and
pudent,
e term
chide,
ate, up-
of one’s
eserved
cross-
e neck,
ranky/
out that
” which
consider describing her behavior factually rather than
labeling her judgmentally. (Originally, “tart” was used
as an endearment, much as “honey” or “sugar” is used.)
tomcat Hugh Rawson (Wicked Words) says this origi-
nated from the hero’s name in a 1760 bestseller, The
Life and Adventures of a Cat. In reference to a cat, use
only for male cats. To mean a man who is sexually ac-
tive with more than one partner, it may be clearer to
describe rather than label the behavior.
trophy wife introduced in Fortune magazine’s 1989 ar-
ticle, “The CEO’s Second Wife,” this term describes a pat-
tern among chief executives to discard longtime spouses for
women typically younger, “sometimes several inches taller,
beautiful and very often accomplished.” (There are so far
no trophy husbands, although the “toyboy” may represent
the practice stage.)
WMC Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians 17
the man reported frequent headaches while the woman
complained of them.
congressman member of Congress, representative,
congressional representative, legislator, member of
the United States House of Representatives, delegate,
assembly member; “congressman” and “congress-
woman” if they are used fairly—and if “congressman”
is not used as a false generic. “Congressperson” is not
recommended, although it is seen from time to time. If
“member of Congress” seems cumbersome, think of how
often we have heard “member of Parliament” (nobody
was ever a Parliamentman). Although “congressman” or
“congresswoman” is technically a correct title for sena-
tors and representatives, it is typically used to describe
members of the House of Representatives; senators are
always called “senator.” Failing to use a false generic
fair-haired boy/fair-haired girl the favorite, the apple
of someone’s eye, privileged person, someone with
pull, front runner, person after one’s own heart, in one’s
good graces, persona grata, teacher’s pet. “Fair-haired”
is problematic because (1) making “fair” the preferred
coloring is racist and ethnocentric; (2) the phrases are
used of adults, which makes the boy/girl designation
inappropriate; (3) “fair-haired boy” is common, while
“fair-haired girl” is not.
family man homebody, stay-at-home, family head,
home-lover, family-oriented/family-centered/home-cen-
tered person, someone devoted to the family. Note the
lack of parallel for women; all women are evidently
“family women.”
sexism & equality don’t mix!
NameItChangeIt.org
MEDIAGUIDE
to
Gender
Neutral
Coverage
of Women
Candidates
+ Politicians
Media
Center

45. Commenting on other people’s
sexuality or sexual expression
• Slut.
• Trollop.
• Frigid.
• Easy.
• Tease.
• Loose.
• Man-eater.
• Cougar.
• Asking for it.
• Prude.
• The town bike.
• When these words are used
disproportionately
often against women
• And when the behaviour they
describe often goes
unremarked in men.

47. Patronising words of praise
• Career woman
• Feisty.
• Supermum.
• Working mother.
• Yummy mummy.
• Caring.
• Compassionate.
• Hard-working.
• Conscientious.
• Dependable.
• Diligent.
• Dedicated.
• Tactful.
• Interpersonal.
• Warm.
• Helpful.

49. Celebrating women for behaviour that is
unthreatening to the patriarchy
• Ladylike.
• Bubbly.
• Vivacious.
• Flirty.
• Sassy.
• Chatty.
• Demure.
• Modest.

50. Dismissing women as pawns of their
hormones and physicality
• Emotional.
• Hysterical.
• Hormonal.
• Menstrual or pre-menstrual.
• Flaky.
• Moody.
• Over-sensitive.
• Clucky.
• Maternal (when not about one’s own children).
• Neurotic.
• Irrational.
• Baby brain
• Baby weight.

52. And many more…
• Feminazi.
• Militant.
• Bridezilla
• Diva.
• Prima donna.
• Blonde
• Banshee.
• Fishwife.
• Lippy.
• Ditzy.

53. At all levels

54. In every language…
• Avoir des couilles
• Etre Hysterique
• Elle a ses règles?
• Bon père de famille
• Le sexe faible
• Il faut souffrir pour etre belle
• Mal baisée
• Elle a du coucher pour reussir
• Nique ta mère
• Garçon manqué
• Fais pas ta pute
• Tu ne vas pas te laisser battre par une fille
• La menagere de moins de 50 ans
• Femme au volant, mort au tournant
• Derriere chaque grand homme, se cache une grande femme.
• Fais pas la gonzesse
• Fee du logis
• Ecole maternelle
• ‘Tu seras un homme, mon fils’

55. Esto es un coñazo De puta madre
Hijo de putaEres una nenaza
In every language…

56. http://profeminist.tumblr.com/post/140048100072/tw-for-sexual-violence-graphic-by-ashley-fairbanks

57. And with the subliminal
contamination of song lyrics

60. “I'll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.
Do it like it hurt, like it hurt. What, you don't like work?”
Robin Thicke
“Turn around, bitch, I got a use for you, besides, you ain’t
got nothing better to do, and I’m bored.” - Guns 'N Roses
"Slut, think I won't choke no whore 'til her vocal
chords don't work in her throat no more?" - Eminem
"Fuck a bitch; don't tease bitch, strip tease bitch.
Eat a bowl of these bitch, gobble the dick." - Dr. Dre
“I'm trying to find the words to describe this
girl without being disrespectful.
Damn girl who's a sexy bitch” – David Guetta

62. «J’ai envie de violer des femmes/De les forcer à
m’admirer/Envie de boire toutes leurs larmes/Et de
disparaître en fumée».
Les villes de solitude, de Michel Sardou
«Le comble enfin, misérable salope/Comme il
n’restait plus rien dans le garde-manger/T’as couru
sans vergogne, et pour une escalope / Te jeter dans
le lit du boucher!» Brassens
«Après unelongue route/
Sous la pluiequel’on redoute/
Quand les fillesnous écoutent/
C’est bon, quec’est bon/
De choisir uneminette.
Dansces filles à vedette/
Qui ne sontvenues quepour ça.
C’est bon de serrer dansses bras/
Une groupie, unegroupie.
On les emmène en voyage/
Quand on estquede passage/
Madelon danssesbagages.
C’est bon, quec’est bon/
C’est un joli parasite/
Qui s’accroche et quel’on quitte/
Quand on en connaîtun meilleur/
Ça ne reste pas dansle cœur/
Une groupie, unegroupie/
Une groupie, unegroupie».
Michel Delpech

63. Which impact on us?

65. The Effects of Sexist Language
• Male-dominated language reinforces sexist attitudes and
behaviors.
• Women are ignored, and deprecated everyday in general
conversations as well as important discourse. How could this
not have an effect on their status and mental states?
• 7% of women in the United States are depressed which is
twice the rate of depression in men (3.5%).
• Depression in women often stems from gender inequality,
role strain, tendency to ruminate, stress response, child birth,
dietary problems, body image, and poverty
• Sexualization of Girls is Linked to Common Mental Health
Problems in Girls and Women: Eating Disorders, Low Self-
Esteem, and Depression

66. http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/5065
73/sexist-speech-stress-self-esteem/

67. How sexist speech impacts
stress and self-esteem
• Multiple studies suggest rude language can impair cognition.
• Students who were criticized before an experiment came up
with less creative uses for a brick, for instance.
• The ones who were treated civilly offered inventive uses like,
“hang it in a museum and call it abstract art.”
• But the ones treated brusquely by the experimenter said
things that were logical, but not very creative, including—no
joke—“build a wall.”
• We just don’t think as clearly when we’re insulted, and we
also seem to like each other less.
• In another study in which experimenters were rude to
participants who, perhaps unwisely, were given bricks, the
participants said they’d like to “smash the experimenter’s
face,” “attack someone,” or “beat someone up.”

68. Take action
Being mindful about your
language is the easiest thing you
can do

69. 5 Simple Steps to Use More
Inclusive Language
1. Know your situation! Upon entering a room or a crowd note the people
that are there. If you know who you are surrounded by, you are more likely
to be inclusive!
2. Try to avoid referencing gender when you can. Many times gender seeps
into a conversation where it is irrelevant. Ask yourself if the topic you are
discussing really implicates gender, and if not just leave it out of the
conversation.
3. Try using plurals to avoid using gendered pronouns. Plurals such as
‘people’ or ‘they’ are more inclusive that using ‘he’ generically or even ‘he
or she’ because women are secondary here and it is drawing attention to
gender when attention doesn’t need to be drawn.
4. Correct your “man” words into their more appropriate and more inclusive
forms. i.e. chairman into chairperson, fireman into fire fighter, policeman
into police officer, post man into postal worker etc.
5. Stop using non-heteronormative words and identities as insults. For
example men calling other men girls, or pussies, or fags, or gay. This just
degrades these identities or descriptions making them weak and
intolerable in our society. It isn’t a bad thing to be a woman or gay so why
use it as an insult?

70. sexism & equality don’t mix!
MEDIAGU
The
Women’s
Media
Center
The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to
Gender Neutral Coverage of Women
Candidates and Politicians

71. WMC Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians 3
Reversibility means abandon-
ing or evaluating terms or story
frames of women candidates
that wouldn’t be written about
men. It means not citing sex
with less seriousness or logical
relation to content than you
would cite race, class, ethnic-
ity, or religion.
At the simplest level, do you
use “Mr. Smith” on first refer-
ence, then “Smith” after that?
Do you cite “Ms.,” “Mrs.,”
or “Miss Smith” throughout?
If you answered yes to both,
you are granting Mr. Smith
autonomy, but continuing to
describe Ms. Smith by her
marital status.
If terms are almost singularly
applied to women but not to
men, you probably shouldn’t
be using them. Sexism can
also refer to the type of cover-
age, often about personality,
appearance, or family, that
is given to women politicians
but not male politicians. See
the chart for some examples.
Please refer to the Glossary of
Terms listed from the Unspin-
ning the Spin: The Women’s
Media Center’s Guide to Fair
& Accurate Language for more
examples.
Said to Women Said to Men
Cunt NONE
Girl / Woman
Whore NONE
Man Whore
Bitch NONE
Slut NONE
Prostitute Player / Pimp
Man-Eater / Aggressive Driven / Motivated
High-Strung / Temperamental Powerful
Too Emotional Sensitive / Caring
Mean Girl / Bully Powerful / Decisive
Ice Queen / Cold Hardworking / Commanding
Nagging / Shrill Determined
Opinionated / Uppity Knowledgeable / Passionate
Hot / Sexy / MILF Handsome / Attractive
Ugly / Mannish / Dyke / Lesbian NO ATTENTION GIVEN
Varicose Veins / Cankles / Wrinkled Distinguished / Seasoned
General Menstruation Jokes:
Moody / PMSing Angry
General Comments on Appearance:
Plunging Neckline / Short Skirt / Oh, look, he’s wearing a red/blue
High Heels / Hairstyle tie “and an American flag pin”
CHART OF REVERSIBILITY
FORGENDERNEUTRALITY

73. Using gender-neutral language

74. “The language we use not only
reflects our culture but also
constructs it,” Judith Baxter

75. Changing terms is only the tip of
the iceberg but it has a “huge
symbolic importance”

78. Accept compliments

79. Stop apologizing

80. Stop using shrinking language

81. In FRENCH

98. In spanish

99. Mujeres como “apéndices” de los hombres
Puede que este caso no sea tan frecuente, pero ello no significa que
no haya una discriminación clara a la hora de referirse al género
femenino en determinadas ocasiones. Es muy común que se utilicen
frases como “los trabajadores y sus mujeres” o “los embajadores y
sus esposas”. La solución a este uso indebido es muy sencilla, aunque
no se debe caer en el error de utilizar solamente el sustantivo mascu-
lino para denominar al colectivo. Términos como “El cuerpo diplomá-
tico” o “la población trabajadora” pueden ser fórmulas de éxito en
estos casos. Estos son algunos ejemplos de frases que puedes usar
para evitar la discriminación sexista:
Expresión Alternativa
Expresión Alternativa
Los profesores han puesto muchos
deberes a los alumnos.
Los trabajadores de esa empresa.
Los políticos se preparan para la
campaña electoral.
Los expertos recomiendan.
Los usuarios están satisfechos.
Si todos ponemos de nuestra parte.
Nosotros dijimos lo que estábamos
pensando.
Los jugadores y sus mujeres.
Los trabajadores y sus esposas.
El profesorado ha puesto muchos
deberes a los alumnos y las alumnas.
La plantilla de esa empresa
La clase política se prepara para la
campaña electoral
El personal experto recomienda
Quienes utilizan este servicio están
satisfechos
Si cada cual pone algo de su parte.
Dijimos lo que estábamos pensando.
El equipo y sus parejas.
La plantilla y sus acompañantes.
Mujeres como “apéndices” de los hombres
Puede que este caso no sea tan frecuente, pero ello no significa que
no haya una discriminación clara a la hora de referirse al género
femenino en determinadas ocasiones. Es muy común que se utilicen
frases como “los trabajadores y sus mujeres” o “los embajadores y
sus esposas”. La solución a este uso indebido es muy sencilla, aunque
no se debe caer en el error de utilizar solamente el sustantivo mascu-
lino para denominar al colectivo. Términos como “El cuerpo diplomá-
tico” o “la población trabajadora” pueden ser fórmulas de éxito en
estos casos. Estos son algunos ejemplos de frases que puedes usar
para evitar la discriminación sexista:
Tratamientos
En el anterior apartado te hablábamos del uso sexista de las deno-
minaciones a la hora de dirigirse a alguien con cortesía. Seguro
que alguna vez habrás escuchado eso de “señorita”, que se refiere a
una mujer soltera o que todavía no ha contraído matrimonio. Hacer
esta distinción entre “señora” y “señorita” no es más que otra forma de
discriminación sexista, ya que a un hombre no se le pide una expli-
cación en este sentido, por eso debemos eliminar el segundo uso para
equipararlo al tratamiento masculino. Te explicamos algunas propues-
tas sobre cómo evitarlo:
Expresión Alternativa
Nosotros dijimos lo que estábamos
pensando.
Los jugadores y sus mujeres.
Los trabajadores y sus esposas.
Dijimos lo que estábamos pensando.
El equipo y sus parejas.
La plantilla y sus acompañantes.
8
llo que es:
Uso de profesiones de forma despectiva
Hay determinados trabajos que son más habituales entre uno u otro co-
lectivo. De por sí, es una forma de sexismo instaurada en la sociedad,
ya que se considera que una mujer puede no ser tan buena médica
como enfermera o que los hombres no son limpiadores. Evidentemen-
te, existen trabajadoras y trabajadores de ambos sexos en los dife-
rentes sectores, pero esta tendencia se refleja también en el lenguaje.
Así, se habla de “los médicos” para referirse al colectivo, a pesar de
que también haya doctoras, y “las enfermeras” a pesar de que haya
también trabajadores de este tipo. Pasa lo mismo con “los pilotos” y
“las azafatas”, dos formas muy usadas en el sector aéreo.Toma nota de
estas correcciones que seguro que te resultan muy útiles:
Expresión Alternativa
Expresión Alternativa
Raquel Martínez, abogado.
La médico me atendió muy bien.
Hay muchas mujeres que son
políticos.
Los médicos están en el descanso.
Las enfermeras piden mejoras
laborales.
Las limpiadoras han hecho muy bien
su trabajo.
Raquel Martínez, abogada.
La médica me atendió muy bien.
Hay muchas mujeres que son
políticas.
Los médicos y las médicas están en
el descanso.
El cuerpo de enfermería pide
mejoras laborales
El equipo de limpieza ha hecho muy
bien su trabajo.

100. Our words shape our world