weirdly gendered words/things

like, blonde and blond, for example and brunette/brunet, do we really need to gender these particular words?

Always found it weird that we even need two versions of the same word. I didn't even know until a few years ago that blonde = female, and blond = male, but I honestly find this weird, and dumb. Really don't get it, tbh.

also why are boats called "she"?/considered female this is another thing i find very weird in the english language? Is there a story behind this one?

There is nothing else I can think of right now, though.

Btw, I understand that there are a lot of languages that gender words because that's just the way they are, so I don't find any of that weird. I know Spanish, French and etcetera have feminine and masculine version of words, and that's just how that is.

please don't take this thread too seriously

One thing that I think is unnecessary is having perfume and cologne. Did we have to separate men's and women's fragrances into two completely different words?

I mean, if we're talking about things that are weirdly gendered, there's a whole subreddit of these kinds of things called r/pointlesslygendered and honestly it's both funny and sad to see things like pink ear plugs "for women" or toothpaste "for men" are actual products.

While our language is very much gendered we've tried to come up with a bunch of ways to make things more inclusive. Unfortunately, what came out of it feels very stilted and unnatural. Gendered languages are usually very complicated and allow for all kinds of crazy inventions. And even if there are limitations, language is not static. It can evolve and we can always make up new words. Yet, the solutions so far were very lackluster. <_<

As for the English language: I've heard about these. My impression on that is that it's mostly to advertise stuff to certain groups of people. Like, certain items "for men" are clearly labeled towards men who feel very insecure about their masculinity. There may also be some historical baggage. Usually class/hierarchy related.

Palamon said:

also why are boats called "she"?/considered female this is another thing i find very weird in the english language? Is there a story behind this one?

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You made me remember that my uncle (who's a ship captain) has this quote framed in his home...


My native language is pretty cool in that we don't have gendered labels when referring to a person. There's no he/she, only siya (directly translates to them/that person)

It could be because most sailors were men in the past?

I only hate it in fanfiction with words like "Bluenette".

Maera said:

It could be because most sailors were men in the past?

I only hate it in fanfiction with words like "Bluenette".

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I'm tired, so I don't feel like mutli quoting.

I hate that word! Bluenette. I roll my eyes at it. It's so annoying. Don't know who invented "bluenette" but it's not something I want to see when I read fiction.

& Yeah, I can maybe see why that's why boats are considering "female" by people.

@Roni: oh my god that graphic is incredibly hilarious. & That's cool. I know there's other languages that don't have gendered language at all, which is nice.

@RadEmpoleon I've heard of r/pointlesslygendered and want to give it a look in the future and just laugh. I do find it weird that there's cologne and perfume, but as a trans masc, I prefer cologne.

English has gendered words and several ones to describe the same thing because it's a bizarre amalgamation of old German, Danish, Latin and French. So the old Anglo-Saxons had cows but their Norman overlords ate boeuf (beef) so now you have both words.
Blond is a French word and when it was shoehorned into English, it came with its feminine counterpart. Same story with the silent u in colour and all the "British" spellings which are actually old French spellings.

As a fan of linguistics, this all is fascinating.

Never liked how many people apply color with gender.

Pink is a nice color. Hated any sort of comment I got as a kid for wearing it.

ZeoStar said:

Never liked how many people apply color with gender.

Pink is a nice color. Hated any sort of comment I got as a kid for wearing it.

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God, I freaking hate this. "PINK IS FOR GIRLS" "BLUE IS FOR BOYS" they're just colors, stop gendering them, society.

Reminds me of when people would question my gender on this very forum back when I posted in a pink font color. Really pissed me off.

When bathroom products have separate versions for men and women, but the only differences are that the men's one is bigger, not pink and has "for men" written on it - which is why I just buy the men's version! 😅 It's pretty amusing when you see men's tissue boxes and they have to say things like "thick and large", while women's have flowers and "live laugh love" quotes.

I had no idea that in English we differentiate between Blonde/Blond. That's only something I learned about in French. I've never seen that distinction in English.

Hyzenthlay said:

When bathroom products have separate versions for men and women, but the only differences are that the men's one is bigger, not pink and has "for men" written on it - which is why I just buy the men's version! 😅 It's pretty amusing when you see men's tissue boxes and they have to say things like "thick and large", while women's have flowers and "live laugh love" quotes.

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I believe the worst offender regarding pointlessly gendered products is skincare. Men's skincare is always packaged with a gray/black theme, and my face would constantly sting and break out when I tried them. I've since shifted to "women's" products which have far better effects~ (nothing on the box specifically labels it as for women ofc, but I'm just going with the usual social stigma that only women do skincare regularly)

Palamon said:

I do find it weird that there's cologne and perfume, but as a trans masc, I prefer cologne.

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It's funny because I'm nonbinary and don't like either. Of course I want to smell good, but they're both too overwhelmingly strong to me. What would a gender neutral fragrance even smell like I wonder?

Which then makes me think of literally any hygiene product. These kinds of things are so heavily gendered. Women's soaps and such always smell like flowers, plants, fruits, sweets, but then men's soaps are always things like ocean waves, freshly cut grass, flannel shirt, beef testosterone, wood chippings, and barbecue grill. This was mentioned above, but the women's products are always packaged in pink containers with pretty flowers and swirls, then men's products are just plain gray and it has to say FOR MEN so they know. It's so... absurd. Also something else weird is those 7-in-1 men's products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving cream, and grill cleaner. idk I'm overexaggerating). It just plays into the stereotype that men don't have good personal hygiene and so these products make it "easier" since it's everything in 1 bottle. Are these products even effective in cleaning so many different things?

Also another minor thing that's absolutely ridiculous to me is sitting positions. How have we gendered sitting, of all things? Sitting with your legs wide open is literally called "manspreading". Enough said. But then if a woman does it, it's "unladylike", even if she has pants on. Women generally have their legs closed or crossed. It's interesting to consider the implications of men sitting in a wide, dominating position while women are told to sit in a dainty, subservient position...

Evidently created yogurt for men. Should not be a surprise, though. Somehow views certain foods as masculine (typically fatty meat and alcohol) and others (like tofu) as feminine.

RadEmpoleon said:

It's funny because I'm nonbinary and don't like either. Of course I want to smell good, but they're both too overwhelmingly strong to me. What would a gender neutral fragrance even smell like I wonder?

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Maybe food? Typically finds cinnamon rolls, coffee, cookies, bread, and vanilla as pleasing. Might not be too gendered (as opposed to fruit). Butters up prospective buyers of large purchases with food and their scents. Evokes pleasant memories and sensations.

ZeoStar said:

Never liked how many people apply color with gender.

Pink is a nice color. Hated any sort of comment I got as a kid for wearing it.

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Generally its parents conditioning their children what is fit for the gender, then teasing others for not fitting to what they are taught, but then all of a sudden it becomes hip when you get older to wear colors that were originally designated to the opposite gender. Atleast for men based on my school experience, but I don't know bout every school nation wide.

Hyzenthlay said:

When bathroom products have separate versions for men and women, but the only differences are that the men's one is bigger, not pink and has "for men" written on it - which is why I just buy the men's version! 😅 It's pretty amusing when you see men's tissue boxes and they have to say things like "thick and large", while women's have flowers and "live laugh love" quotes.

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You avoid the pink tax by buying men's, too.
Sad as it is.

RadEmpoleon said:

Also another minor thing that's absolutely ridiculous to me is sitting positions. How have we gendered sitting, of all things? Sitting with your legs wide open is literally called "manspreading". Enough said. But then if a woman does it, it's "unladylike", even if she has pants on. Women generally have their legs closed or crossed. It's interesting to consider the implications of men sitting in a wide, dominating position while women are told to sit in a dainty, subservient position...

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At least for some men they kinda need to spread even just a little bit for their privates to not get crushed by their legs (depends on how big it is, but I'm not gonna get into that). Women tend to not have this issue, so at the core this is a biological thing, and I think we're dealing with it wrong. Lack of adequate space in public transport? I'd say we have the system to blame for not building bigger seats, or not having more buses and trains in service and enforcing more strict schedules (minimize late arrivals and departures as much as possible!!) so people don't end up having to be sardined on their way home.

For some reason, there's also men out there who think things like washing your hands every time you use the toilet or take care of your hygiene/appearance are girly or whatever. I've seen it on twitter.

Maera said:

For some reason, there's also men out there who think things like washing your hands every time you use the toilet or take care of your hygiene/appearance are girly or whatever. I've seen it on twitter.

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Anyone who doesn't wash their hands, regardless of gender identity, after going to the bathroom is disgusting af. It's not girly to practice hand washing.

can't believe this is a thought process people have

wash your hands

I had zero clue until now that the blonde/blond and brunette/brunet distinction existed until now. Wild.

Speaking of hair, I always hated that short hair = guys, long hair = femoids. I say this both as a trans woman and someone into men with long hair, there's so little you can really do with short hair and it's dumb how that's just kind of expected of men. Pre-transition I'd hear "you need a haircut!" every now and again and that made me want to roll my eyes into the back of my skull. No, you need to shut the fuck up loser, mind your own damn business!