Sexism Education 's definitions

Feisty

Feisty is a condescending way to describe a woman who has an opinion and is determined to achieve her goals.

It’s uncommon for CIS men to be described as ‘feisty’ due to society’s unconscious bias towards how men and women should act. In their guide to improving the media coverage of females, the Women’s Media Centre lists ‘feisty’ as one of the words that should be avoided, describing it as “normally reserved for individuals that are not inherently powerful”.

He realised feisty is a sexist term and praised his female colleague for being driven instead.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Cute

Cute is a demeaning way to describe a woman who is approachable and endearing. Unlike small children, fluffy toys and puppies, professional women rarely appreciate being called cute. Cute implies that someone is adorable and sweet—qualities that people associate with women due to society’s ingrained expectation of how women should look and act.

Her male colleague called her ‘so cute’ and she reflected on how he would react if she had called him that.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Cold

Cold is used to describe a woman who isn’t acting in a traditionally ‘feminine’ way. Some women are caring, warm and expressive and others aren’t. Women in leadership are faced with the mismatched expectation of having both leadership qualities and stereotypical feminine qualities. It’s often accepted that a male leader can be the ‘silent type’, but when a woman acts in the same way (because she knows masculine qualities are more respected), she’s an ‘ice queen’.

The female CEO was described as ‘cold’ because she wasn’t happy, smiling and chatty all day long.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Fierce

Fierce is a word used to describe strong women, however it also infers that a woman isn’t acting as we expect her to. Fierce is a particularly problematic sexist term, as it is often reserved for women of colour and reinforces the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype.

Instead of calling her fierce, he called her strong, as that was exactly what she was.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Emotional

Emotional describes someone who has shown a valid human response to a situation. This word is often misused to describe emotionally intelligent women in the workplace. There is a well-documented history of women being labelled as ‘emotional’ and ‘hysterical’ and therefore not equipped to lead.

Even presidential candidates fear being judged as emotional:
“It’s a really delicate balancing act—to be yourself, to express yourself, to let your feelings show, but not in a way that triggers all of the negative stereotypes.” –Hillary Clinton

After a difficult client meeting, Jane became emotional. One of her male colleagues rolled his eyes and the other went over to see if she was okay.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Sassy

Sassy is used to describe women who are quick-witted and clever. Instead of praising these qualities, which are celebrated in men, people are often quick to undermine women for stepping outside of their ‘lane’ with sarcastic and quirky comments.

He wondered why his female colleague didn’t laugh when he called her ‘sassy pants’.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022

Difficult

When applied to a woman, difficult relates to the idea that women are impractical for having high expectations for themselves and others. When we call a woman difficult, we could be saying: “She’s asking me to challenge myself and I’m not comfortable with a woman doing that”. Words like decisive or determined are more positive ways to describe female colleagues.

He noticed that his female colleague didn’t live to please others. Instead of labelling her a ‘difficult woman’, he respected her ability to say no.

by Sexism Education March 6, 2022