Whisper Network

by Chandler Baker

And then we took it as a compliment when one of the men in the office told us we had balls. So, tell us again how this wasn’t a man’s world.

I’m constantly after myself not to be that person in an argument quibbling over semantics, but, in my heart of hearts, that’s me. Because words matter! And our language is steeped in misogyny, phrases like “pussy,” “hysterical,” “man up,” and “being a little bitch” to name a few. I struggle with not wanting to be overly sensitive (read: hysterical?), but also understanding that these phrases are repeated so often and so casually that they are bound to reinforce our gender roles without us even realizing we’re doing it.