Oh, you don't like being called Kitten? Don't be such a pussy!

We could complain about the way that animal imagery has infested the dialect of the British people until the cows come home, but only now have feminists decided to stray from the flock and stand up against this ‘discrimination.’ Women have been likened to animals as a form of endearment for years and they have appeared to willingly accept it. From their local bus drivers, friendly ‘y’alright duck’ to their partners affectionate ‘oi fam, stay away from my bird,’ these terms don’t seem to insight any sense of feminine inferiority at first glance.

I must admit, getting called ‘chick’ does make me feel mildly uncomfortable. I had never thought as to why before; I would usually just ignore it and peck the head of another misogynist whose words had much more gravitas, but upon further reflection the implications of these terms are particularly fishy. What is perhaps more concerning however, is the fact that such phrases are so deeply engrained within our dialect that we have stopped questioning them.

When the misogyny of such phrases and words are highlighted, and straight from the horse’s mouth, they become difficult to argue against. The linguist Hoey (2005) believed that words like these are an example of lexical priming. In other words, these terms appear to be ready-made for certain meanings because of their habitual use in the same contexts. Therefore ‘duck’ ‘kitten’ and ‘lamb’ have got undeniably sexist undertones along with more obviously discriminative terms like ‘bitch’ ‘mutton’ or ‘cougar.’

The sexist implications of such terms are difficult to ignore once brought to the forefront of our minds. The idea that we are weak and childlike when referred to as baby animals, that we are authoritative and confident when referred to as ‘bitches’ or that we are creepy old women that just want a fleeting taste of youth when called ‘cougars’ – in any point of view we are presented in an undesirable way.

One linguist, Deborah Tannen, believes the difference between men and women starts in childhood, where parents use more words about feelings to girls and use more verbs to boys. Perhaps the semantic derogation of these words is so deeply engrained because it has been conditioning us from such young age. Males and females belong to different sub-cultures and therefore speak differently, which clearly leaks into societies use of slang words or animalistic references towards women.

One way in which feminists have been attempting to combat dialectical discrimination is reclaiming the meaning of the words and hopefully giving them a more positive meaning. ‘Slut walks’ are now a common feature within Britain’s biggest cities, so perhaps the best way to combat this sexism is for us to do it together. Reclaiming the animalistic words used to describe women, although being a difficult job, would definitively be worth it.

So, next time someone calls you ‘duck’ be sure to waddle yourself over and quack to them about the sexist implications of their harmful term of endearment!