At Her Campus Notre Dame, we all love to write it out–and now, we’ve found a group that loves to talk it out! We’re so excited to partner up with Notre Dames, and connect you to what our Dames are discussing on campus. Every Tuesday, the Notre Dames get together to talk about an issue that relates to gender on campus, across the country, or around the world. Here at HCND, we’ll give you a recap of the latest Talk It Out Tuesday discussion every week, so stay tuned for more. There is nothing quite like a Dame, and that’s why we love thee!
This week’s topic: It’s time for some ~girl talk~ during this week’s TIOT. Whether they’re bossy, bitchy, or total Valley Girls, ladies get a lot of flack for what they say and how they say it. Let’s Talk It Out about the perceptions and expectations of women communicated through language!
The Highlights (All the thoughts below come from the members of Notre Dames)
What girls say, how we say it, how we phrase it—it all seems like women’s language is under, like, constant scrutiny.
Look at the term “like;” what began as a word associated with the stereotypical teenage girl has grown into a common filler in sentences that all genders and ages use. Yet it seems when girls use it, they’re under more scrutiny.
One Dames member recounted the time her professor made her rephrase her entire statement in class because she had included the word “like” in it. Another talked about how classmates kept track of how many times a girl said “like” while giving a speech in class.
In both cases, the girls didn’t say much else the rest of the semester after those instances. The problem is people are so caught up on how a sentence is delivered, they don’t bother to hear the content being said beyond the “like.”
And then there’s girl talk. Traditionally, girls are more talkative than guys and deal with social situations and problems with similar communication standards. Whereas a girl can outwardly express her feelings of a situation, the same standard is not held for men. Does this produce an emotional and communication handicap for the guys? As much as some people consider this a problem, would we as a society accept more emotionally-attuned men?
Looking directly at the English language as well, you see gender differences. A woman who is upset could be called hysterical (a word that actually stems from the term menstrual cycle), but that same word is rarely used to describe an upset man.
But there’s been some words that are being reclaimed by women. Boss A** B*tch and Head B*tch have brought some sort of pride to a traditional insult directed towards women. However, other words like slut and whore, both targeted to females, aren’t making in strides in that revamped direction. Are we suppose to police when it’s ok to use demeaning terms in songs or in certain contexts? Will we ever get to the point where these words will ever lose their power and cycle out of popularity in the English language?
Actions may speak louder than words, but listen to what girls have to say.
Liked what you heard? Want to be a part of the conversation? Let’s Talk It Out next Tuesday night in the Dooley Room in LaFortune! Stop by anytime from 7 – 9 PM for great snacks and chats, guaranteed.
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Images: 1 (provided by author), 2