Please stop talking about shoes and handbags - unless you're a man.

A friend recently posted on Facebook, commenting on a childish exchange he'd witnessed on TV when two women were commenting on how 'fit' a 15-year-old boy was. He - rightly - posed the question of how we would feel if it was two men discussing a young girl in the same way.

We really should consider how we talk about each other and consider the gender implications. You rarely hear a man asking another man where he bought his shoes. Or his suit. Or his tie. Or anything else. I'm not interested in the outfits of female friends and colleagues and don't want to waste time discussing it.

Do we, as women, reinforce gender stereotypes in the language we use? I resent being called 'Hun' by a woman, just as a man calling me 'Love' winds me up. Use my name and if you don't know it, ask me.

All I've ever wanted is to be treated as an equal by everyone. And to do the same in return. How do the words we use everyday make that less likely?


Posted via my iPad