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Overheard At Work: 13 outdated words we really need to stop calling women

Twisted: Unserious food tastes seriously good.

By Fournine

Mar 08, 20195 mins

Overheard At Work: 13 outdated words we really need to stop calling women

In honour of International Women's Day, we've compiled a glossary of the regressive, gendered terms that are lobbied against women, especially in the workplace.

Have you ever heard a man called a "slut", "hysterical", or "ditzy"? Unlikely. These terms are bandied around in everyday parlance when it comes to women, however, and the connotations are always negative. And the worst part? Google is even gendering them in this way - which I'm sure you'll agree is pretty basic in 2019.

"Slut", for example, is used to condemn female sexuality, and there's no real equivalent for men because society at large deems that sexual promiscuity among males is something to be celebrated. Ditto words like "hysterical", "nag" and "feisty" - which like "slut" - only serve to enforce toxic gender stereotypes.

READ MORE: 7 sexist laws in the US you won't believe still exist

Here are 15 words that we should censor from our vocabularies, in the workplace and beyond.

1. Slut 

slut Credit: Google

2. Hysterical 

Credit: Google

3. Ditzy 

Credit: Google

4. Stroppy 

Credit: Google

5. Mannish 

Credit: Google 

6. Drama Queen

Credit: Google 

7. Nag 

Credit: Google

8. Feisty 

Credit: Google

9. Diva

Credit: Google

10. Frigid 

Credit: Google

11. Frumpy 

Credit: Google

12. Hormonal 

Credit: Google

13. Irritable 

Credit: Google

You wouldn't call a man "frumpy" would you, so why say it to a woman?

READ MORE: 10 absurd pieces of advice people used to give women in the olden days

This is the first in our Overheard At Work series, stay tuned to see what two of our favourite influencers - Mother Pukka and Ashley James - have to say about their experience of sexism in the workplace.

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