The way languages incorporate gender can have a powerful impact on the expression of identity. Over the last few years, we’ve progressed significantly in our acceptance of gender fluidity: One seminal 2015 poll found that half of millennials in the United States believe gender isn’t limited to male and female, a meaningful change from previous generations. Today, […]
Just like with any sensitive topic, I’d rather my child hear about swearing from me than pick it up on the street. At least that way I’ll know she’s learning from the best. After the faint pink line appeared on my partner’s pregnancy test, probably the third or fourth thing I said while jumping up […]
Linguistic patterns hold over time with repeated and widespread use, contributing to our culture in ways that often fly under the radar. In February, I wrote a piece on having been raised by a sex-positive mother. It was a topic that had been stirring in the back of my mind for a while, as my […]
In my attempts to define myself as different from those around me—people I assumed were less educated, full of prejudice, and generally less interesting—I became the one full of prejudice. My one-word question sounded as if the “y” had been turned over on its side, stretching the sharp “eye” sound into a lower, longer “ah” […]
Think for a moment about a blank slate character in any medium with no gendered attributes. Do you assume it is male unless you are given clear markers of femininity? As a feminist, and father of two girls, I am hyper-vigilant about how gender and sexism pervade everything, and I try to correct, or at […]
This originally appeared on Of Sugar-Baited Words. Republished here with permission. We all say things offhandedly that we don’t mean or wouldn’t want to communicate if we thought more about the implications of those words and phrases. Here are a few. Words matter. I spent seven years studying English literature and I really, really believe […]
Could a simple change of phrase help to change the world? Today I want to ask you to start paying more attention to your metaphors. I know what you’re thinking: “What the hell do metaphors have to do with social change?” A lot, actually, so I hope you’ll hear me out. I believe some of the […]
