Semantics Enthusiasts Only
“Please dispose of feminine menstrual products here.”
These vandalized signs on the bathroom stalls around campus have recently caught my attention. A semantics enthusiast had scribbled out the word “feminine” and replaced it with the more precise term “menstrual” in every stall in the bathroom of Mason Laboratory. While I do not condone vandalism, a part of me couldn’t help but appreciate the scribbler’s cause.
Why is this distinction so important?
Because reproductive organs do not define femininity. Saying that menstrual products are “feminine,” reduces womanhood to genitalia and is inherently transphobic. Having a uterus does not define a woman. Women are more than their reproductive systems. And in our current social and political climate, it’s important to understand just what we mean by these terms.
In addition, although precise language can be difficult to utilize, it is essential in research. For example, WHRY studies sex and gender differences. This distinction of sex vs gender is important because although they may be intertwined, they describe different things.
Sex describes the general classification of organisms at birth, based on their reproductive organs and chromosomal complement (XX, XY, and the rare XXY or XYY). Gender refers to a person’s self-representation, based on biology but influenced by the environment and a person’s individual experiences. Both terms may lead to differences in clinical outcomes but through different mechanisms — gender relates to the human self, sex relates to cells. These terms aren’t interchangeable.
Beyond research, precise language is important for effective communication. It’s the difference between saying you’re sad and saying you’re depressed. It’s what prevents misinformation and misquotations. When institutions conflate the terms menstrual and feminine, they’re unintentionally reducing women to their reproductive organs. So, again, I’m not in favor of linguistic vigilantes altering signs in bathrooms or anywhere else. But I see you, bathroom sign vandalizer, and I hope that our institutions will be more informed so that precise, inclusive language can be utilized.
