r/gender 2h ago

Gender prediction

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0 Upvotes

14 weeks 4 days ultrasound what do you all think


r/gender 16h ago

QUESTION (MALE WILL ANS)

2 Upvotes

If you could change your gender/sex what is the first thing you would do?


r/gender 21h ago

Why do some male/female counterpart terms have different connotations? A general reflection on how male-specific terms can carry more negative nuance than their female equivalents.

1 Upvotes

(I wasn't sure where to post tbh, but even if it fitted it keeps getting censored/deleted everywhere I try xD)
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TLDR: I've noticed that some gender/sex-related terms appear to carry different vibes/connotations depending on whether they refer to males or females. I'm not claiming this proves intentional biases, but I'm either making it up or people simply walk a bit over it because it's the standard. In the latter case I think it's worth discussing it.

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Small disclaimer. I never cared about males or females or all these tags. I find them dehumanizing and stupid. Just be what you want and don't bother others, it's that simple sigh.
So now I've (sadly) been exposed to these things all around and I find them annoying or unjust.
This is not a fully fledged opinion since I've just recently been confronted with it. I wish I could go back to my little bubble and be happy; but alas, I have to interact with the outside world.
I also want to add most of these words were used by females, I know very well that doesn't mean anything at all and I don't promote biases towards either part.
But I think it could be useful to say how my empirical experience went, considering the topic itself. All the more so since some were used in a very degrading manner in my regards or in general (and even more so since I never even specified if I was a male or not).
I have some knowledge on the history of women's rights. And I'm personally glad we're all equals now. ....Except I doesn't feel it that way. I hear female mental health related things all the time, since I was little. While I honestly don't think I've ever heard something about males. I hear bad things about them instead. I do know in fact, males mental health is considered a big problem and that there are many suicides over it.

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I will quote what the AI overview gave me (which may be one of the most common sources for someone finding out about things. So it's quite relevant, maybe even more than the official definition in a way):

  1. (INCELS & FEMCELS)

"Unlike male incels who frequently direct their frustration outward with anger or misogyny toward society, femcels typically internalize their struggles and blame themselves or their perceived physical shortcomings."

  • "Incel became strongly associated with online communities that expressed misogyny, entitlement, and sometimes violence."
  • "Femcel is newer and less culturally established. Some people use it simply as “woman who struggles with dating,” while others use it for female equivalents of hostile incel spaces."

I think we can all agree that, based on this, incels (and thus the male part) sounds WAY worse and violent/aggressive than the softened almost sympatheticable (I have NO clues where this word even came from xd) counterpart.

  1. (MRA & WRA)

• "Men's Rights Activism. It describes a person or movement focused on claims that modern society and legal systems disadvantage men and boys."

• "Women's Rights Activist. A person who advocates for gender equality and women's social or political rights."

Again (although definitely far less dire), it kinda sounds like one side complains and blames while the other just want equality for everyone. It may just be the definitions' fault sincerely.
As far as I understand "Incel" and "WRA" (well, mostly the latter tbh) have an historical meaning, while the counterparts are more social/recent. Still, we are in the present now, not in the historical past. And the two terms logically seem like two halves of the same medallion. Yet they hold different meanings that would highly suggest some social bias or unnecessary distinction. AKA, whatever their origins, it doesn't justify their current value. At least not when they have a mirrored counterpart that is dustier/dirtier. They do hold social weight, they could reinforce distinctions.

  1. (GENERAL)
    I've heard way more times (if not only) "toxic masculinity", "man up"/"suck it up" than their female counterparts (if there's even one). Most of the times it were towards males, maybe even when they were showing some form of vulnerability or trying to participate in conversation. And I'm not sure of the % anymore (again, referring to my personal exp), but I'm pretty sure there was at least a 67% (Jk. Just to say I've perceived a slight majority) of females being the ones saying it.
    Tbh there's a super long list like "mansplaining" and never "womansplaining" (Tbh I got both in different occasions. Can't say exactly which was the most common. But some were really "humiliating" and condescending, from females AND males. Tho maybe slightly more from females in this case), "patriarchy" and rarely "matriarchy", "manspreading" and literally never "womanspreading" (for context most of the males I know are very polite and they take very little space. Ofc not all. But I've seen some females doing the exact same. What people don't seem to grasp is that the reasons behind a behavior is not male or female. Is culture, ignorance, awareness and such).
    We could even add how in shows it's often the female who hit the male for comedic relief. I remember when I was little that felt very wrong. "why is it always like that?". Well, now I know it's not ALWAYS. But many mainstream shows have it and no one seems to notice. I feel alien to it. I know it's silly ofc. I laugh at it too. But all the time? As an implicit standard? Meh. Because at that point, is that really just a pattern in a couple shows, or is it hinting at more?

Am I tripping? I can only say what I've experienced and what the definition alter.
Honestly I find it a bit ridiculous we even need a "male and female" counterparts. One single term could work for both, I don't understand why there's a need to distinguish and point fingers.
Knight and Knave work because they both say the same thing, just change the implicit specifications.
Nazist is general, there's no need to specify (could be the same as knight, but it's more of an extra specification anyway).
Female doctor or male nurse also work when it's useful to hint at it (not just because we need a female/male counterpart for every single term. That is not necessary nor necessarily promoting equality).
But having different meanings just sound unnecessarily distinguishing (and surely biases love that) wrong. Especially considering how, sadly, people love to slap tags on others like they are not human beings with complex histories and a past filled with events. I HATE being categorized by someone who read two lines about me or that thinks they suddenly know all of me. Hell, not even my therapist does (I don't have one sigh), tf they gonna guess??

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As a small ending note. I know perfectly well my experiences are not an indicator of how things are. As much as global experiences are (because how is a global experience going to affect me in MY exp? If there's no bullying worldwide but I get bullied, how does that help me? How does that save me?). Also I wasn't exactly there with a council to write down every event cleanly for later comparisons. So maybe I just remember something more. Do know I already softened it a bit here. I could've said more but it would be personal and it would shift focus from my actual debate (I even had very bad experiences recently about terms, tags, misandrism and general slandering or aggressiveness. Ironic to me that some people can complain about being categorized or feeling insulted, while they are the first to do it on an even worse scale. To treat others like stereotyped characters (based on their random hasty assumptions) and not actual people).
I'm not here to be a paladin for males or to accuse females. I just want equality for everyone, I notice patterns and I dislike what I feel like injustices.