Why do people get so upset by the word "female"?

the-banana-dude · 2022-04-10T11:45:39+00:00

Yeah my gf got upset when I was talking about males vs females. And I literally had to tell her to stop looking for trouble, I used "Male" so I'm gonna use "female". I'm not gonne say males and women....

Hurts when the bad kind of feminism spreads to the ones you love...

MiddleReasonable647 · 2022-04-10T11:55:35+00:00

I was kicked off badwomensanatomy for defending the word “female”.

42nanaimobars · 2022-04-10T10:58:40+00:00

It’s okay to say male and female. How could the word “female” dehumanize someone? A female human is literally a human with XX chromosomes.

Edit: And to all those weirdos who say “males and women” or “men and females”: Fuck off! The correct versions are “men and women”, “males and females”, and “ladies and gentlemen”.

heeroena · 2022-04-10T12:34:25+00:00

it is very important to not let them control language. keep using gendered language regardless of peoples reaction. This is their way of pushing their sick ideologies

PFfounder · 2022-04-10T10:13:29+00:00

Just another bullshit created by the woke.
I don't care if someone calls me a male or a man.

zklpr · 2022-04-10T17:16:37+00:00

Mainly because incels have taken to using the word female exclusively to refer to women.

OldSamVimes · 2022-04-10T11:02:33+00:00

People don't get upset by the word 'female'.

Ideologues do.

JackeTuffTuff · 2022-04-10T12:28:50+00:00

I’ve seen feminists say that ”female” is more used than ”male” and therefore that’s bad

I couldn’t care less though

Shadowdragon409 · 2022-04-10T18:13:23+00:00

The issue is when some guys say "men" and then turn around and say "females". I notice it a little more now that I'm looking for it. I personally don't see an issue with it. I doubt I would be just as upset if some women started saying "women" and then saying "males". Who knows, I might change my mind if it ever happens. It only makes me cringe a little because I know that if a woman *is* sensitive to it, she won't listen to a thing that guy is saying.

It's also why I always default to saying "woman" / "women" when speaking about them.

fuzijo · 2022-04-10T13:41:16+00:00

running out of issues to play the victim

hi_its_lizzy616 · 2022-04-10T16:36:18+00:00

Because incels refer to women as “females” and “femoids.” “Female” is fine but they never call a woman “woman.”

gamerlololdude · 2022-04-10T17:28:22+00:00

It explains here: r/menandfemales

Analyze the posts and comments and the reason such a subreddit exists

needs_grammarly · 2022-04-10T11:09:57+00:00

bro what the fuck, who told you that female is dehumanizing. def the dumbest shit ever. "please don't call me (gay/asian/black/male/etc.)"

WavingUncorrupt · 2022-04-10T15:59:26+00:00

Anthropocentrism. When you refer to men and women in dull clinical terms such as 'male' and 'female' it is seen as dehumanizing because you're not holding them above all the lesser creatures that make up the animal kingdom.

Homo-sapiens are a pretentious bunch of apes.

roquetobt · 2022-04-10T17:22:05+00:00

There absolutely are cases where it isn't acceptable. For example. If you're talking about men and women, you can't refer to men as "men" and then women as "females". Too many incels who don't know how to talk outside their insanely retrograde circles.

Do some people take it way too far and make a regular word taboo for nothing? Absolutely.

Are there moments it isn't acceptable to use? Fuck yeah.

It's not a black and white subject.

Sunagwa · 2022-04-10T11:48:25+00:00

Like someone else mentioned I'm assuming it's something to do with the gender identity stuff. Maybe they prefer the new cis monikers. Personally I refuse to use them.

I'm all for people identifying as whatever they want. All I ask is the same respect in return. You don't get to change what I've identified as my whole life and then tell me I'm being a bigot or ignorant because I won't change my identity to what you want it to be.

InformalCriticism · 2022-04-10T17:29:39+00:00

I noticed that a few years ago, and it's just strange. Basically, feminists and leftists are always on the lookout to police language, and in this unlimited regressive attitude they hope to force people to use only one term for women.

It is especially annoying, because a long time ago the military actually forced the same type of language training into its recruits in order to reduce the familiarity troops would have with each other by coaching enlistees to say either "male" or "female" in order to sanitize references to gender.

The only people "offended" by the term are the complete opposite of language experts; they are social justice warriors looking for fights to pick, and there is nothing wrong with the word.

KajaIsForeverAlone · 2022-04-10T20:42:44+00:00

Depends on the context. When talking about the biological sex there's no issue. Referring to people as "females" instead of "women" or "girls" comes off pretty incel-ey.

Grand_Ad_864 · 2022-04-10T13:14:49+00:00

It's what happens when every single university, and government institution, has to have a women's gender studies department. People have to start justifying pay.

Darkwolf90 · 2022-04-10T13:58:08+00:00

Its because people are willfully ignorant and attach emotional baggage to words while demanding your telepathic and your own emotional experience be the same as theirs.

Powerful_Software_14 · 2022-04-10T12:21:49+00:00

Is there anything that doesn't trigger some people nowadays?

owenswart · 2022-04-10T14:08:40+00:00

I get it. I don't think it's offensive, but I can see how someone might be uncomfortable with it. And from a certain point of view, it probably is a little dehumanizing.

The issue is that it's a generic biological term. It can be equally applied to the egg-procuding sex of any species, plant or animal. It doesn't specifically refer to a human.

We have words that specifically refer to human females: Woman, girl, lady etc.

I'm sure most people who use 'female' as a proxy for 'human female' aren't trying to be insulting or anything. It should be taken in the spirit in which it's used. But we should probably also try to use it correctly if we can.

dcommini · 2022-04-10T14:02:09+00:00

In the military we were taught to say male and female.

For example, the male barracks or the female barracks.

Male grooming standards or female grooming standards.

Male soldiers or female soldiers.

When entering a latrine or barracks of the opposite sex you call out and identify, "Male on the floor," or, "Female on the floor."

This whole push that "female" is somehow dehumanizing is just people trying to always be victims. Unless saying "male" is also dehumanizing, which I've not seen any arguments for.

FromAutumn2Ashes · 2022-04-10T15:39:00+00:00

It doesn’t matter. Just saying “men and women” seems to flow better in casual conversation so that’s usually what I use. However, it’s just a fucking word and people need to get over it.

Glum_Independence270 · 2022-04-10T17:41:06+00:00

It depends on the context of how you use it… if you say “females and men” then it’s sort of a red flag. But if you say females and males, then it’s not really a dehumanization. If you’ve been vindicated for the usage of “female” then it could be the personal experience of that particular woman. My mindset in handling these situations is to apologize rather then defend myself, you may not have meant it in that way but certainly it will alleviate discourse

BGwas301 · 2022-04-10T16:15:00+00:00

The only people who care about that shit are the feminist sjw types. I see women I know refer to themselves as female all the time

St_Korihor · 2022-04-10T16:35:49+00:00

Because it’s easier to complain about what words are used then to address an argument or point.

az226 · 2022-04-10T18:30:23+00:00

Female is ok. Saying females is a bit weird.

There are plenty of feminists who say women and males in the same breath though but get super mad when you say men and females in the same sentence.

RazerMax · 2022-04-10T20:26:51+00:00

It depends how you use it, sometimes it will sound derogatory because you sound like you are treating them like some animal (because there is a better word, "woman"). Also using the word "female" referring to someone makes you sound like an incel.

Inevitable_Lab_5014 · 2022-04-10T22:53:56+00:00

Not upset per se, but it can sound weird in the wrong context.

Maybe it's a cultural thing, but using the word 'females' as a knowingly cringey alternative for the word 'girlfriends' was a running joke made by the father in a very popular UK sitcom called Friday Night Dinner, which started airing in 2011.

He's a beloved, eccentric character and I always got the impression the reason he did it was to be able to talk, albeit awkwardly, about the subject with a degree of emotional detachment.

Wait...is this you, Martin?

VeryFluffyKittyKats · 2022-04-10T22:59:09+00:00

it’s began to be mostly used when men want to dehumanize women

WorriedTreat · 2022-04-10T14:50:12+00:00

its all about the context. You can use the female but it’s weird when you say “man and female” in a sentence. you take the humanity away from women and just boil it down to their gender.

Wooper160 · 2022-04-10T13:29:59+00:00

Depends how you’re using it. Could we have a specific example?

VeteranOfDepression · 2022-04-10T14:13:28+00:00

I honestly don't care. Call me woman, call me female, just don't call me a "birthing body"

viikoko · 2022-04-10T14:31:42+00:00

"Rules for thee and not for me"

LurkingDrifter · 2022-04-10T16:03:13+00:00

Because it has "male" in it... ;)

ForgedYetBroken · 2022-04-10T12:37:03+00:00

It makes you sound detatched from the issue, as if you were discussing a seperate species or maybe a classification of rocks.

It's not dehumanizing in and of itself, people just get the impression that you use it to reduce them to their physical attributes and disregard literally every other facet of being human.

Captain_Save-a-Bro · 2022-04-10T13:48:50+00:00

I dont understand the "rationale" behind it at all. However, it seems obvious to me that this is just another example of brainwashing that is being used to 1) make men look bad 2) make women feel like victims 3) create disharmony within society

raptorboss231 · 2022-04-10T16:52:29+00:00

Was knce kn tik tok and was told female is a derogatory term used by sexists.

DefendTheLand · 2022-04-10T19:10:04+00:00

They’re morons.

Starmind0 · 2022-04-10T19:16:36+00:00

Because it's another way to paint women as victims when they're not.

detrydis · 2022-04-10T20:54:49+00:00

It’s only weird if you use it in a casual sense. Like, “I’m gonna go out tonight and hopefully bring home a female”.

novdelta307 · 2022-04-11T00:10:57+00:00

Feminists use anything to make themselves victims

supamundane808 · 2022-04-11T01:46:40+00:00

I didn't really get this either, I thought it was something black people used more and thus just a cultural difference, since I only heard it in the context of "Are you talking to other females?" so not only said by men.

Hefffallump · 2022-04-11T02:54:06+00:00

WTF do you woke want us to say? Fembots FeMaliens

shoetreemoon · 2022-04-11T03:22:41+00:00

I don't know that all people get upset - some people do. It's almost always rooted in virtue signaling individuals that subscribe to the feminist viewpoint that "female" is somehow subordinate to "male." It's akin to them wanting to change the spelling of "woman" to "womyn."

Pick a different term - I don't really care. I'd even support "testicled and ovaried" or "xx and xy" just to end the rhetoric. People seem to have too much time on their hands.

Perpetual_Question · 2022-04-11T09:31:02+00:00

It's just braindead feminists making up an issue to make themselves feel superior.

BaldSandokan · 2022-04-10T11:40:41+00:00

It probably comes from the trans vs. feminist debate over the word woman.

3-1-3-mamma · 2022-04-10T12:32:37+00:00

Because it demonstrates that the mind control is not complete. When someone attempts to control your speech, it is ultimately an attempt to control your thoughts.

Lice138 · 2022-04-10T14:34:52+00:00

It’s just stupid, don’t give into it.

DirtyPartyMan · 2022-04-10T15:31:40+00:00

I truly am finished with trying to please & appease people’s issues.

The honest truth of it is, it’s not what I say that matters most but how you react to it. You choose your reaction in that moment.

When I used to be offended by things I started questioning myself as to Why I became offended.

Taking personal responsibility for what I allow inside and to effect me is my own. No one else’s.

Choose your battles. In those battles decide whether you will be the commander of your emotions or their foot soldier.

Joftitan_77 · 2022-04-10T21:48:32+00:00

Cuz it has male in it?

Dr_Frasier_Bane · 2022-04-10T12:17:16+00:00

Just stop talking to and about women all together. Life is so much more peaceful that way.

Raphe9000 · 2022-04-10T14:48:15+00:00

And from so many of the same people who use "straight white male" as an insult as well.

TesticalDefibrillate · 2022-04-10T15:27:08+00:00

They want to be offended.

ApatheticHeretic_101 · 2022-04-10T13:14:31+00:00

I usually respond with "Fuck off, Fuck you, Get a fucking life, loser, Go tell it to my asshole, Lick my dick, " etc.

Those morons are trying to be the thought police. Ignore them and move on with your life.

They're in a puddle of their own misery. Don't join them.

ASexualSloth · 2022-04-10T13:34:22+00:00

Well, female is part of the gender binary.

Perhaps she got upset you were excluding biology deniers?

veedub447 · 2022-04-10T13:39:55+00:00

Feminists and the wok liberals don't like the term "female," because it is not malleable like the term "woman." Females and male refer to the biological sex of a species, dogs, pigs, horses, etc, and humans.

MisterBowTies · 2022-04-10T16:09:15+00:00

I got scolded by a woman for referring to a singer as a "girl" when I was referring to other singers as "guys" those people can fuck right off.

GivePuppiesBazookas · 2022-04-10T16:53:47+00:00

They don't get upset, they are just looking to start a fight. Nothing more.

angryearth · 2022-04-10T16:57:45+00:00

[permanently deleted]

hifi3xx · 2022-04-10T16:58:19+00:00

Honestly at this point I think people who get mad about this are people who get mad about it are just mad that they are a woman and they are pushing their prejudice of them being a woman onto you. They just don't like to be reminded.

Melohdy · 2022-04-10T17:19:52+00:00

Personally, I like the word. I like being called a female. It's not a pejorative to me. It only becomes a pejorative if you already have it in your mind that females are somehow less than males.

ehyni · 2022-04-10T17:45:00+00:00

Because they are sexist females

von-schlitterbahn · 2022-04-10T17:55:57+00:00

The terminology must change to keep you off balance and quiet. your silence is more valuable to the effort making every normal thinking person insane, like make the world schizophrenic so you cannot cope. Keep adding pressure and eventually something goes snap.

syro23 · 2022-04-10T18:19:48+00:00

Some people are looking to be offended. They are actively seeking it out.

BillBull7890 · 2022-04-10T18:44:30+00:00

Only some type of people gets upset.

WillCuckSmith · 2022-04-10T18:48:49+00:00

Because they are stupid.

UppedSolution77 · 2022-04-10T19:00:43+00:00

Me too I also wonder this. It's so fucking stupid. They keep on saying that it sounds like you're narrating a national geographic documentary or something. I say shut the fuck up because it may sound strange but inherently, that word is not insulting in any way. Even the other way around the word "male" is perfectly fine to me.

I mean if someone tells me not to call them a female within certain context, I will oblige but the point is it just makes little sense to me coz inherently there is nothing wrong with that word.

GigaShagger · 2022-04-10T20:10:50+00:00

Because people are fucking stupid plain and simple. "Oh it's reducing us to our reproductive organs" while insistantly calling men "cis white males".

tallalgerian · 2022-04-10T20:51:25+00:00

Because women in the west are so privileged they need to find something new to get mad about

aClearCrystal · 2022-04-10T21:54:47+00:00

Explaination:

It isn't about the word itself. The issue lays in the sentence context.

If you say "women and boys", while talking about people of the same age, some men may find that to be belittleing, because it seems like it means to imply the men didn't mature.

At the same time, no one would find the word "boys" offensive if you were to say "girls and boys".

There are many such words, where if you don't use equivalent terms for the different groups you're referencing, it seems like you are trying to imply something negative for one of the groups.

A very common case of this is "men and females". The words are not equal the way "men and women" or "males and females" would be, making it seem like the language was chosen for implications.

This is the reason people complain about the usage of the word "female" in certain contexts.

You can definetly say it is unneccesary to get upset about something like this. But while you do need to be quite sensitive to be upset by something like this, declaring such wording to be (somewhat) offensive is neither irrational nor stupid.

Impossible-Ground-27 · 2022-04-11T00:01:16+00:00

Feminism garbage.

DNatz · 2022-04-11T02:11:41+00:00

Simple, because they are stupid.

Ogreblack · 2022-04-11T02:55:16+00:00

It’s just the latest attempt feminism has at being victims. When they try to force you to change your language and they try to rewrite English, you know they are crossing the line. It’s just a bunch of ass hurt females that need something to be mad about, not matter how big or small

AlphaBearMode · 2022-04-10T15:12:43+00:00

I haven’t seen anyone say the real reason they get mad, or at least give an example.

The idea is that “female” can refer to a cat or a dog or any other animal. When referring to animals we tend to say male and female. We wouldn’t describe a female dog as a woman.

So they want to stop people from saying female because it’s nondescript of the species. Females are used for breeding and repopulation (animals) but women are autonomous humans with rights and all of that.

Now don’t get me wrong; it’s fucking stupid that they believe this is such a problem, because it’s literally a non issue. But that’s their argument.

portojohn2020 · 2022-04-10T21:02:34+00:00

It all depends on how sensitive the female listening is. If she is emotionally strong then it's never a problem. If she is emotionally fucked up then woah cover your face. It's all arbitrary and how they want to take it. There's nothing wrong with saying female. Only unstable people will care

FactsArentHate · 2022-04-10T22:29:08+00:00

It reminds them that sex and gender aren't social constructs. They can't get away from it. Just by making the differentiation of identifying as male and female, they're admitting there are large, easily detectable differences, physical AND psychological, that distinguish us. I'm hoping this insanity breaks soon.

snoozeflu · 2022-04-10T13:42:20+00:00

Not exactly sure but ever since I found out that it upsets people, I make sure to use it more often.

dingoperson2 · 2022-04-10T18:20:56+00:00

The words "Female" and "Women" are used interchangeably.

The reason they appear upset is that by claiming to be upset and claiming you have transgressed, they get to attack you. By setting rules for you, and attacking you as a group when you don't follow the rules, they demonstrate their power and make others afraid of them. They love attacking.

The best solution is to refer to left-wing media outlets also using "female":

Female leadership is good for the world: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jan/21/female-leadership-is-good-for-the-world-just-look-at-barbados

Being loud and female is about more than volume: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/loud-female-volume-unashamed-annette-plaut

CanniBal1320 · 2022-04-10T14:47:22+00:00

Yeah like I m a biology student and have developed a bit of a habit to use males and females in formal situations. I generally use guys and girls tho. I have had a couple people say to me that 'females' r only used by incels. I was like wtf that doesn't make any sense

_wrong_ad_ · 2022-04-10T13:58:17+00:00

Well if Supreme Court Justices can’t even figure out what a “woman” is, how else are we supposed to differentiate and identify between sexes?

heatherleean · 2022-04-10T14:52:49+00:00

it personally doesn’t bother me, probably due to how i was raised but my friends who don’t like it say that it still contains the word male and kind of says “ you can’t exist without me “ in some way that’s like? women need to be controlled by men and kept in line or something lol

RedPill_Hispanic · 2022-04-10T15:44:39+00:00

Because women are more efficient at processing emotion than men. Men process the information so it doesn't matter if anyone says "men", "males", "dudes", "guys", "ni**as". We just care what point is being made (we prioritize the information) women prioritize how things made them feel and it's also a way to deflect the facts being thrown at them lol

Loozyr · 2022-04-10T16:06:10+00:00

if you’re not also using the term “male” when using the term “female,” then don’t use it man, y’all ‘conspiracy theorists’ in here just sound dumb

HenryCGk · 2022-04-10T15:14:32+00:00

Male and female are perfectly good adjectives but if you kneed a noun please considered men and women.

I don't know the context in which you've used it so no attack but I wonder whist you asked here with so little context.

tl;dr maybe the same reason this isn't /r/malesrights

NarutoBoy87 · 2022-04-10T15:46:58+00:00

How the words and meaning have changed.. Left meant more liberal and open minded folks.. Open to new thoughts and ideas.. Acceptance and tolerance...

But with this extreme shit.. Why are we still calling these dipshits lefts... They are the same as conservatives maybe even worse.. 'You should agree to my opinion else you are my enemy'... Feels like they went full circle and reached the other end..

Lord_BigBoy · 2022-04-10T16:17:42+00:00

because there childish

Marvinkmooneyoz · 2022-04-10T16:28:04+00:00

I only use it if i am implying the category that includes girls and women, and if i dont think that is clear fromt he context, than I clarify. And yet i still get downvoted to oblivion.

Aelspeth87 · 2022-04-10T16:59:57+00:00

What?? Are they not biological terms? You’re make, I’m female, why the hell is that an issue? Dehumanising??? What on earth are we supposed to be referred to as? ‘Not male’? ‘Lady male?’

We are biologically different in aspects that are dictated by our sex, there has got to be something that can easily describe those differences, this is insanity. Of all the ridiculous shit I’ve heard this is a corker. I get the whole ‘wimmin’ thing, if people are so sensitive to the inclusion of the word ‘man’ or ‘men’, being altered to reflect the whole we’ve got wombs thing, (although to be honest, I’ve always seen it as an equalising term that again, simply differentiates between the sexes in a very basic but effective way), but to be offended by the word female is a whole new leap towards stroppy madness. We are bloody female!

danielnogo · 2022-04-10T17:25:24+00:00

It's because lots of guys in the black pill community use it, and to be fair, they do use it in a very dehumanizing way.

What's weird though is you don't often hear women referring to men as "males."

Philosophipster · 2022-04-10T17:41:59+00:00

It's not, it's just accurate. If they are not female, they should tell you. You're not a mind reader.

Obsidian_Koilz · 2022-04-10T18:33:58+00:00

I have absolutely no clue. It is men/women, male/female, hormone/pheromone.... idk... and frankly my dear, I don't give a damn! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Final_Collection_515 · 2022-04-10T18:40:39+00:00

Because apparently it makes us sound like animals but aren’t we that 🤔

Ridethelightning1987 · 2022-04-10T19:32:44+00:00

Idk. It sure pisses them off. Had one try to report me on Facebook for it. Double mad when that didn’t work.

newyorkloser45 · 2022-04-10T23:01:54+00:00

Cause this society is batshit psychotic at anything that isn't directly kissing the ass of some women's onlyfans

Laytheblameonluck · 2022-04-10T23:25:04+00:00

Because, by using the word "female", you are actively avoiding the pre-existing conflict over the use of the word "womyn" to replace the word "woman".

It's that simple.

EsraYmssik · 2022-04-10T10:09:49+00:00

Animals can be female. Only humans can be women.

pomegranate2012 · 2022-04-10T11:55:50+00:00

Female as an adjective is fine.

Female as a noun sounds a bit odd. I think it's used by people who fancy themselves as military types or something.

International_Risk82 · 2022-04-10T11:47:53+00:00

Because they think (sometimes rightly so) that the person using it is dehumanizing them.

Temporary-Repair6779 · 2022-04-10T13:11:04+00:00

It is very dehumanizing to have people refer to men as men but to women as "females". I am not a cow, I am a person. I see people refering to women as "females" as a dehumanizing objectifying tactic to make them feel less bad about saying horrific shit.

Xyyz · 2022-04-10T15:36:52+00:00

It is unusual to use "female" as a noun when "women" will do. There is a tendency for people who do it in spite of that, whatever the reasons or causes, to be unpleasant.

There are some contexts where, even referring to female humans, a good case can be made for "female" as a noun. In some contexts, it is even the norm. But this whole situation has become an issue on people's minds, and people are not so good with nuance.

aintshitsweett · 2022-04-10T22:43:54+00:00

Because again it devalues women to just our gender. We aren’t dogs, cats, or any other species that DOESN’T go by woman. Women/woman are referred to as humans. It’s not much to want to be referred to as such.

somirion · 2022-04-10T11:44:47+00:00

In my native language there is no difference, but:

-you are not a scientist. Male/female patients, specimens, individuals etc. Its accepted. Also while talking about different species.

But when talking about people, try tu use women, girls etc.Or thats what i sort of rememmber

EDIT:
Also whats couple people wrote - usually men reffering in one sentence to "guys and females" or something like that. I'm guilty of it myself, because - in my native language there is rather bad equivalent of these words and they mean the same.

AbsurdiBear · 2022-04-10T14:31:08+00:00

Well, it is because it can be considered dehumanizing since Female and Male are terms often used to describe animals.

Huge-Theme6774 · 2022-04-10T14:31:53+00:00

Likely because that word is so often used by men with misogynistic arguments reducing women into mere objects to get sex from, often based on some Darwinian fallacy

Sufficient_Ad_9362 · 2022-04-10T14:18:10+00:00

It’s not because female is dehumanizing in itself. It’s the way sexist people use it.

RanchMe · 2022-04-10T16:03:56+00:00

Wow yall are retarded. Its not about how YOU feel you fucking idiots. Of course female is a word no shit of course its not innately dehumanizing. But thats not how other people FEEL. Feelings are not logical they never will be. Understand OTHER people feel dehumanized when you call them females. Having a little respect will go a long way. It doesn’t matter what you think the word female means, all that matters is people’s feelings and your response to them. And if you want to die on a hill about dictionary definitions you have a lot more to learn about how the world works.

TheBananaKing · 2022-04-10T16:23:59+00:00

Female as an adjective is fine. A female patient, a female customer, a female politician - nobody's going to bat an eyelid.

The problem is when you use it as a noun, when you call someone "a female".

It comes across like calling someone "a gay", "a black" or "a chinese".
It also sounds like you're talking about an animal.
There's a perfectly good word - 'woman' - for 'female person', so avoiding sounds... pointed.
Weird incels and their 'femoids' are loading the dice on this one, putting everyone on a hair trigger.

sunshineandhotdogs · 2022-04-10T15:34:29+00:00

Because it reduces women to just their reproductive capabilities.

Violet_Murderer · 2022-04-10T17:36:30+00:00

Because incels and people who buy into "alpha" male shit use that word. Pretty sure no one needs an explanation for why incels and alpha male content suck.

mattcojo · 2022-04-10T13:17:38+00:00

I’d honestly agree with them. I feel like it’s dehumanizing.

Any animal can be female. Only humans can be women.

Sailbad_the_Sinner30 · 2022-04-10T14:11:50+00:00

Well, probably because gender is a human construct and sex a natural one. When you refer to “males” and “females” outside of a strict biomedical context, you are subtly dehumanizing people.

Th3DuctTapeMan · 2022-04-10T17:16:11+00:00

Might have something to do with inclusion of trannys

dejour · 2022-04-10T17:27:41+00:00

It doesn't really make much sense, but I've seen two rationales:

Men and women imply humanity, while (in their minds) male and female imply animals. I don't really think this makes sense, but it is true that we don't call dogs or pigs men and women but we do sometimes call them males or females.
It falls into the sex/gender thing. Some people say that man and woman refers to gender while male/female refers to biology. So a transwoman would be a woman but not a female.

In any case, I don't like to cause unnecessary offence so I tend to use "women" if I mean women. However, where I sometimes still use "females" is when I'm talking about women and girls. I don't think there is an alternative single word that captures that except females.

345stayinalive · 2022-04-10T18:20:43+00:00

Since your name is non Chad I think you know exactly the connotations that come along with 'female' over woman

JaxJags904 · 2022-04-10T21:39:55+00:00

The word female is fine.

It’s when it’s not used a a descriptor, but used essentially as a noun.

Example, saying “my female coworkers were excited when I brought my puppy in” totally fine.

Saying “the females at the office were excited when I brought my puppy in.”

Nobody would ever say “the males were excited.” It’d be “my male coworkers…”

dont_care_enough_ · 2022-04-10T22:12:54+00:00

It's really about the context because if you say males and females there's no prejudice behind the words but if you say females in that asshole tone it goes from a noun to a derogatory word.

pnandgillybean · 2022-04-11T03:36:06+00:00

There are plenty of words that already describe a human female. These are “woman”, “lady”, “girl”, etc. There isn’t a lack of correct terminology to use.

The word “female” refers to a classification of an organism according to dna and physical characteristics, and doesn’t acknowledge their humanity at all. It’s like referring to an unintelligent life form, or a body, and not the person inside the body.

It’s one of those words that would technically count as a loose synonym on Thesaurus.com but isn’t quite right, and there’s no reason to use it unless you’re making a point to. There is no lack of better options.

Since there are so many more accurate words that are more natural to use in a sentence, the use of the colder word that doesn’t acknowledge a woman’s humanity feels very intentional. This is especially true with the “men and females” phenomenon that happens with some people, where a person will use “men” or “guys” when talking about men but use “females” when talking about women. For example, this is a men’s rights subreddit, and people on here usually refer to men as “men”, but often refer to women as “females”. It’s an active choice and the speaker is choosing to use the word that doesn’t acknowledge women’s humanity.

This would be different if the use of “females” was in a different context. For example, a scientific article would likely use “male” and “female”, and that would not be offensive.

And for context, completely exchanging both “man” and “woman” for “male” and “female” in your vocabulary may not be considered offensive, but it can feel a bit creepy. You are (presumably) a man, so to call yourself a “male” seems needlessly detached and edgy. Again, it’s not the way people are socialized to talk, so it is generally very off putting to see. It makes it seem that the speaker either wants to be seen as someone who doesn’t consider themselves very human or actually doesn’t, and that’s strange. Once again, context matters, so a guy may refer to himself as male on a doctors form and it would be fine, but switching his whole vocabulary would be weird.

Let me know if I’m not being clear or if there’s anything I can expand on for you. If you’re asking in good faith, I’d love to have a discussion and make sure you are satisfied with the answer to the question you asked.

doyoulikemywood · 2022-04-12T15:39:47+00:00

Incels refer to women as females. End of story.

lacifx · 2022-04-10T22:37:04+00:00

“females” is a term often used to refer to women as inferior or while disrespecting them. “this female keeps talking to me” compared to “this woman keeps talking to me” are different sentences.

of course, “female” is used academically and medically, just not really in everyday language. it just doesn’t really make grammatical sense to use female or male to talk about somebody, and it also somewhat reduces people to their biology. using woman and man acknowledges gender identity. you wouldn’t call somebody a trans-female, you’d call them a trans-woman.

basically, historically it has been a demeaning term and while some women are fine with the term, a lot aren’t. you can still use the term, fine, but a lot of people won’t like you for it. it’s much easier to just be respectful.

SuninMyPalm · 2022-04-10T13:35:39+00:00

it's like saying yo to strangers, a bit offensive, but not exactly that much of a deal

Danonix13 · 2022-04-10T15:04:43+00:00

Becouse white knights will fight for milady's honor even if term "human female" is biological right call for women.

Hold_on_Gian · 2022-04-10T21:19:13+00:00

Standard use of female is as an adjective. When it is used as a noun, it’s generally in reference to animals.

You can think it’s stupid or nitpicky but if any of you aspire to lose your virginity you would do well to just call women women and keep your thoughts to yourself

binkerfluid · 2022-04-10T22:07:40+00:00

Because its how you talk about a dog or animal and not a person usually.

Usually we would say men or women not male or female.

The male/female thing is new to me. I dont recall seeing it used so much until recently referring to people unless you are filling out forms or doing something official. I dunno, maybe because I feel like I'm older than a lot of people on this site I feel like maybe its generational.

bakalabalak · 2022-04-10T22:12:05+00:00

Because people tend to say "men" and "female" in the same sentence, which makes zero sense and DOES dehumanize women. It's just weird, and IMO on par with using "girls" and "men" in the same sentence. Just say women. It's not hard. Female sounds oddly scientific and girls is just downright patronising.

It happens so often there's a sub for it lol

r/MenAndFemales

doctorstrangexX · 2022-04-10T15:27:00+00:00

Wasn't there a professor at some college who got upset by the words men,man?

PicklesAreMyFriends · 2022-04-10T15:58:57+00:00

Depending on context it can sound quite clinical, no cause for offense though...

Practical-Rip6471 · 2022-04-10T16:24:32+00:00

You hear it all the time on you tube a woman will go out of her way to not call you a man, and with derision call you just a male. When we call them female, they think we're doing the same insulting derisory action that's obviously on their mind. When in fact, they've snapped at us for decades about what we're "allowed" to call them, female to us seemed the least likely to result in a feminist meltdown. Now they intend to deny us even this.

Ladies the word is in your title, female = feminist. Too late to start complaining about the word now.

PleasantPhysics7982 · 2022-04-10T16:50:40+00:00

I don’t think people get upset…it’s just kinda weird to use biological terms if you’re talking about someone not formally or scientifically…it’s like if I said “suck my genitalia” instead of “suck my dick” during sex (idk how familiar you are at sex if you’re calling women “females”). If you were in the right setting, nobody would call you out

oflbtbs · 2022-04-10T17:01:28+00:00

Male and female can be used in a backhanded and dehumanizing way because these words are used to describe non-human things like plumbing parts and animals. Honestly I'm such a misanthrope I almost consider it a complement to be labeled as something inhuman. Dogs are better. To each his own.

gamerlololdude · 2022-04-10T17:31:17+00:00

The other reason is because woman and female are not really synonymous. Female is a phenotypic sex designation so based on genitals. Like we say AFAB (assigned female at birth). But an AFAB is not necessarily a woman because woman is a gender identity. So not every woman is AFAB.

A transgender woman is not female, that is why they are called a transgender woman. A cisgender woman is female.

To keep people from getting confused about “you can’t change your gender”. Female and women are used to mean different things these days.

When you refer to something as female and male you are talking about what genitals or in some cases what gamete they produce (since male and female is used with plants as well). so it can be degrading for some and not gender inclusive.

Neko404 · 2022-04-10T19:58:40+00:00

Jus5 call them iron males now

michaelpaoli · 2022-04-10T20:52:31+00:00

Political correctness?

Does also depend upon context.

But, if, e.g., male wouldn't be an appropriate term/usage - and not on account of gender, then female probably isn't appropriate either.

And if you say girl, better be about a non-adult human female, or that'll cause problems too.

But calling a non-adult female human a woman also tends to be problematic.

But addressing human females, when it involves both adult and non-adult, if the human is implied, female is very handy and concise, and much less wordy than the more awkward women and girls - especially oft repeating it. Ah well, can't please everyone.

Sometimes it's like walking on egg shells.

That however, doesn't mean the proper terms shouldn't be used in the proper context.

slver6 · 2022-04-10T23:19:42+00:00

I would like a example because it is not clear to me, maybe is a english thing (english is not my first languaje) but yeah

BigDaddyReptar · 2022-04-10T23:47:42+00:00

I think the only time it’s really justified in being upset for it is if someone says men then in the same context females. That is dehumanizing but if you’re using the word in the same context you would use females in idk how you’re upset by that

killermicrobe · 2022-04-11T00:05:38+00:00

Because communism.

GodXTerminatorYT · 2022-04-11T00:07:43+00:00

Ill make an own theory, is it because in'fe'rior male?

Lol that was a bad one

AutoModerator · 2022-04-11T00:12:58+00:00

[permanently deleted]

Archangel1313 · 2022-04-11T00:34:29+00:00

What's wrong with just calling them "women"?

u2020bullet · 2022-04-11T01:14:46+00:00

I don't usually use that word, but i did a couple of times in the past and was immediately verbally stoned by men and women nearby. No idea why though. I wonder if they're also insulted by forms that ask them to specify whether they're male, female or other.

sumfacilispuella · 2022-04-11T01:31:17+00:00

some people will be upset with calling women females no matter the context. those are likely just woke people. others take issue when someone says "men and females". because female doesn't mean woman, it means of the female sex, and is also used to refer to animals. so they are recognizing the humanity of the "male" but not of the "female". now, i realize that generally people saying that are not putting any thought into it, and don't mean it that way, but i understand being annoyed by it. its grammatically wrong at least. not sure if men would be annoyed by people saying women and males, but that's because it basically never happens unless someone's trying to make that point.

CaptBerlin · 2022-04-11T04:58:48+00:00

I live in India. So I still don't know how the word "female" can upset someone? Is it a 1st world thing? Or just ridiculous?

Egbrt · 2022-04-11T04:59:32+00:00

Let's all trade gender indentifiers, problem solved.

jeffthewell · 2022-04-11T05:29:55+00:00

Cause they can’t define it

mo_exe · 2022-04-11T05:44:46+00:00

Because its a huge red flag, but its ok if you also say males

zeerust2000 · 2022-04-11T06:14:33+00:00

Blame the English language, which doesn't care about petty gripes like this.

Mephisto_Marquis · 2022-04-11T06:34:38+00:00

Maybe because the clinical nature of the word they see it as objectifying? Maybe imagine a similar sentence using the word male and see how it makes you feel? Examples of times it upset someone would help.

Mailbox_Squad · 2022-04-11T07:11:31+00:00

It’s better than referring to them as bitches

aknabi · 2022-04-11T07:56:37+00:00

Fine then I’ll stick with “bitches”

Valzemodeus · 2022-04-11T08:09:26+00:00

The word female is very "sterile" and "distant", for lack of a better term. It's not that it's "dehumanizing" so much as it takes things to a level of abstraction that feels impersonal.

As an example, I don't like being called "sir" by close friends. Not because the term bothers me, per se (though I don't like being referred to by a term reserved for those in seniority in general), but because I don't like people who have known me for a long time using such formality. It's annoying for reasons that are emotional as opposed to "rational".

It's uncomfortable.

Those are my thoughts.

(Edit: I suspect women will be more upset by this for psychological reasons that they won't likely admit to because it's kind of ugly.)

Sufficient-Ad3499 · 2022-04-11T13:31:18+00:00

Well nobody refers to men as “male”. It’s just dehumanising and it’s the same term used for animals.

iatemints · 2022-04-11T19:43:17+00:00

female- can be used for any species (female butterfly, female frog, etc)

woman - female human

thatusenameistaken · 2022-04-11T21:18:58+00:00

because it shifts the argument to you using the 'wrong' word choice. being upset with vocabulary means they can (somewhat ironically) dehumanize you and reduce your argument to 'this sexist pig can't even talk human'.

that's basically it.

Styles_Jh · 2022-04-11T22:06:21+00:00

Who the fuck cares what females think. They're opnions are irrelevant let them keep screeching into the void hahahaha

kaizelly · 2022-04-12T01:18:05+00:00

if you call men "men" but call women "females" then its dehumanizing. you only call non humans "female"

Title	Why do people get so upset by the word "female"?
Author	non_chad_alt
Upvotes	746
Comments	486
Date	April 10, 2022 9:17 AM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/u0dzzh/why_do_people_get_so_upset_by_the_word_female/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/why-do-people-get-so-upset-by-the-word-female.1110506 https://theredarchive.com/post/1110506

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