You want (more) evidence of the extent of the patriarchal nature of English? I give you - female breasts.
'Boobs' are quite easily the second most distinctive feminine aspect of any girl/woman. So why is it that so many of the slang terms for breasts have a masculine or (even more oddly) aggressive connotation? When did they suddenly metamorphose into 'bad boys', and 'puppies*', and 'bazookas', and 'bangers'? Ok, there may be the occasional person who refers to 'the girls' or the 'bouncy/pointer sisters', but even when they're 'the twins', they're defined without any gender. Just 'the twins'.
And worse, you don't hear of genitalia given feminine nicknames, do you? You ever hear a man talk about his 'little princess'? Noooooo. It's all 'Mr Wiggly', and 'chhota bhai', and 'One-eyed Willy'.
* Hush? Is that it?
9.5.08
Random gender-giri
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Lingua Lingua,
Some life
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6 comments:
I came here to comment about the second part of your post (about the skirt flying up) and I find it has mysteriously disappeared.
Or maybe the lines about the skirt flew up as well?
it's a new post now.
Completely OT, but I had forgotten all about Pointer Sisters since 1986 and now after 22 years, I can't seem to read a single blog without hearing about the damn Pointer Sisters. WTF?
I think these names are masculine (or aggressive) because that's what men do. They name things. It's part of the hunter-explorer mindset.
God help me. I am starting to sound like those people I detest.
//Man talk about his "little princess"? Careful now.
km:
What, you never saw 'Love, Actually'? Hugh Grant dancing to 'Jump!'?
Maybe that should be "pocket princess"?
There's also the term "sweater kittens" :)
shyam:
Really?? Well, that's news.
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