1. I browsed our upcoming readings and/or the program of the most recent Lavender Languages and Linguistics conference (click the arrow in this bubble), and here's a thing that stood out to me...
2. Listening to people talk, I've been noticing something interesting that might be gendered:
2.1. One thing I have noticed is that people use gendered impressions (physical or verbal). Either talking in a more feminine or masculine tone, or a voice that differs from their own. It depends from person to person, as well as context. It's interesting.
2.1.1. This makes me think of the terms "performative" and "stance", which come up a lot in research nowadays.
2.2. Something I've noticed with people talking is the ease at which some men can talk about a woman when they aren't present, ex: "locker room talk" and I'm wondering if this happens among women in the reversal. I've personally never experienced women talking about a guy in the same way. How is that language so easy for those men to utilize? Would these men make the same language choices if they knew a woman was listening or present? Is this done as some sign of solidarity, and if so, then why? What impact does this kind of speech have on women?
2.2.1. When you say "locker room talk," do you mean sexually explicit language that promotes violence- the whole boys will be boys? I know many women who will sit and discuss men in sexually exploitive ways when they are amongst close groups as well, so this is interesting
2.2.2. It is interesting, because men talk "locker room talk" publicly and perhaps with strangers around. I'm sure there are instances where women do this as well, but maybe not to the extent that men have taken it.
3. I browsed our list of studies available to replicate (on Canvas) and one that I'm considering for the project is...
3.1. I decided to look through the studies posted that are available to replicate and one that stood out to me was "Penguins don't care, but women do." I thought this would be an interesting study to replicate now in 2020, since the initial findings were published in 1989, and see if there's a trend at all when it comes to gender-neutral references and what initial thoughts people tend to have. I personally like things more if there's a visual element to it, so the additional step in this study of having the participants draw their thoughts really caught my attention and seems like a unique way to gather the evidence.
3.2. I am interested in the "Dude" study because I find myself using the word relatively frequently and really dislike doing it. With topics and discussions on gender, it seems to be really problematic to use the term "dude" to talk to someone and/or gain their attention. I want to know variations in regions and how this is similar to the use of "bro" in the Midwest. This is just a thought, though.
3.2.1. This article also caught my attention because I use "you guys" a lot which has the same connotation as "dude/bro" and I never thought if it as something that was frowned upon.
4. One topic that interests me is the use of 'female' when referring to a woman and why it is often used in a derogatory way.
4.1. As a noun, right? "those females"... not quite so bad as an adjective, right? "female doctors..."
4.1.1. It is used as a noun. It just seems as if using the word female puts an extra sting on an insult when it is used.
4.1.1.1. It is almost as if using the word "female" dehumanizes women and makes them seem unequal to men
4.1.1.1.1. I also think when I hear people say female or male I almost expect them to be talking about animals? I'm not sure if that comes up for anyone else though.
4.2. This is something I've often thought about as well, and I'm curious if it has to do with the diminishment of the person to a single gender. It seems dehumanizing to me.
4.2.1. I definitely agree. It comes across as if the lowest you can be is female as if being female is inherently negative.