Gendered language is baked into every part of the English language. From phrases like mankind, manspreading, and man-made to girlboss, girl math, girl dinner; the list goes on and on. But this language only divides the genders more. It only makes the sexism we see in society more normalized. Although some of these phrases were created to challenge sexism, they often end up reinforcing the stereotypes they were meant to fight.
Many of these phrases came from a reaction to sexism. Girlboss, for example, was originally meant to be an empowering term, a fight back to a workforce that historically and presently favors men. However, the term has evolved into something more patronizing, reducing women’s professional ambitions to trendy labels to be put on t-shirts and mugs.
A term that once represented the struggle for workplace equality has become a marketable slogan, turning women’s fight for equal treatment into a product to be sold. Similarly, the term girl dinner originally started as a way to describe making meals that were low effort, that typically did not involve cooking.
It has since now evolved to become a label for foods associated with women, so much so that restaurants have picked up on this and started making “girl dinner” menus and capitalizing on the phrase.
Women eating dinner has been turned into a consumable aesthetic, something so basic to humans now gains a gendered identity. Though it may seem light hearted, the continued distinction between women’s and men’s behavior only exacerbates the idea that even ordinary activities must be gendered.
To the more blatantly sexist side, there are terms like girl math, which quite literally means women doing incorrect arithmetic to justify purchases and spending — therefore playing into stereotypes that women are irrational or financially irresponsible. This is a particularly demeaning and disgusting term given the history of women being denied access to education and being dismissed as intellectually inferior to men.
The phrase “I’m just a girl,” which is a kitschy term used to excuse certain behavior, relies on the assumption that women are inherently less capable. To do something stupid or to make a mistake and then say “I’m just a girl” is to say: “I am a girl and therefore I should be held to a lower standard because of my gender.”
Perhaps most tellingly, these expressions use the word “girl” rather than “woman.” This distinction infantilizes adult women, framing their behavior as childish rather than treating them as capable adults. Adult women made these phrases, not girls.
Even when women themselves popularize these phrases, their origins and implications deserve scrutiny. Gendered language does not have to be overtly hostile to perpetuate sexism. When everyday actions become categorized by gender, stereotypes become easier to normalize. What begins as humor or empowerment can ultimately reinforce the very divisions it seeks to dismantle.
Ultimately, if empowerment means anything, it should mean being treated as an equal — not having sexist stereotypes repackaged as “feminist” trends or punchlines.
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