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smibboI was reading Em and Lo and it got me thinking.
I've never liked the word
PUSSY
(never you mind why)
but I have to admit there are not a lot of wonderful alternatives.
Men are lucky, they have basically two objects and therefore two things to name. We females, however, have a whole lotta stuff "down there" and of course every goddamned bit of it has to have its own name. Then the whole thing has to be named. Bleh.
Of course, there are so many slang-words for the female genitals, just as there are for men. The words for male apparatus (dick, cock, schlong) can either refer to the "important part" or to the whole thing itself (although there are seperate words for the other parts as well - balls, nuts, nutsack, jewels).
Slang terms for the female, are generally for the the main entrance (box, hole) or the whole bloomin shmere (pussy, gash, slash). There is only one term I know of for each of the "important parts" (clit and G-Spot) but either is really just an abbreviation; not really a term in and of itself.
The fact is, although using euphemisms for male parts is common to the point of being perfectly acceptable (and enjoyable)in bed, slang terms for the feminine area are not widely regarded as being attractive. The termonology for the male member is so married to the object of affection that merely using the word tends to evoke the image itself as something one regards with subjective feeling. Meaning to say, however I feel about the male genitals is pretty much how I feel when hearing the common terms for the male genitals. This is not true of female genitals (at least for me and quite a few females I know). Meaning that how I feel when hearing slang terms for the female genitals (which is not so favorable) is not at all the same as how I feel when confronted with female genitals (which is pretty darned happy most of the time - provided I should get so lucky)
When one is lying in repose with laboured breath one will easily accept nearly any terminology so long as satisfaction is around the corner. Aside from that immediate effect, having to hear my most beloved parts referred to something that is derived from the French word for "fish" (and incidently is also a slang term for an animal reknown for enjoying fish) does not do any favors for my sensual mood. (Neither does it help that "Pussy" comes awfully close to the evocation of the word "pus")
I wish, how I wish, that there was a more universally acceptable term for my beloved parts!
When I am conversing with others, fully clothed, the female genitals can be referred to with a variety of words; the choice of which is dependant upon the context of the conversation. Even in the most comfortable of company I have noticed how uncomfortable women are when having to refer to their own anatomy. Why is it we can talk about our "tits", "boobs", "breasts", or "hooters" but not our vaginas with ease?
Ugh, there it is. That word. Vagina. I don't care what men say, it's a stupid-sounding word. It carries connotations of childlike slurring as well as being phonetically aligned with words like "Virgin", "slime" and "angina" - none of which are remotely pleasant thoughts. (yeah yeah, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin but if you've gotten to the point of discussing your (or anyone elses) feminine parts then you've most likely said 'sayonara' to your virginity a long time ago and would not care to take a walk down memory lane)
What the fuck is up with that word? Who thought of it? What woman-hating doctor came up with such a degraded term for something that probably brought him only pleasure? I'm sorry, I suppose I should be all feminista and take that word and "empower" it or whatever, but the fact is that it just sounds stupid.
Then there's "cunt". Personally, I am okay with that word. It's not very sexy, but it's not repulsive either. It has a short, staccatto sound (like "cock" and "dick") so it has that somewhat forceful aspect, but it's a softened staccatto, which is kind of feminine when you think of it. I'd probably like that word better if it weren't occasionally used to describe someone who is a serious bitch-and-a-half. Hell, I've heard it used on men too, which isn't something I can say for the male term ("dick"). Used for a man, "cunt" typically implies a certain feminine bitchiness as well as a generalized asinine nature. Which is all to the good I think, men certainly can be bitches - be they straight or gay.
But I'm getting off the point here... or maybe that is part of the point. The common words for the beloved part of the female always ends up sounding vaguely negative. There's just no getting around all the connotations. There's just no erasing the phonetic similaritites. There's just no "taking back" the term and making it nice - no matter how you feel at the moment of utterence. Perhaps the female genitals shouldn't be thought of as "nice. Maybe therein lies the problem. Gender arguments aside, beloved female parts are responsible for many things (childbirth, menstruation, cramps, PMS) many of which are not exactly looked upon favorably. The beloved female parts are responsible for only ONE thing that is universally regarded as positive (sexual gratification). Even though factions of our culture strive to pretend that gratification is not a good thing, we all know the truth.
Hypocritical or not, the beloved female parts are a source of mystery and confusion as well as pleasure, but I believe it is their life-giving nature that continues to keep them down (as it were). The mere idea that a human life can spring forth from such hidden depths causes many an unpredictable reaction. Whatever you think or feel about progeneration, beloved female parts are essential to the argument. There ain't no getting around their involvement. The disparity of opinion and personal attachments to the idea of progeneration almost guarantees that there will never be universal acceptability of the beloved female parts. Thus, I conclude that there will most likely never be universally acceptable terminology for the beloved female parts.
My favorite is "snatch". Think what you will.
I've never liked the word
PUSSY
(never you mind why)
but I have to admit there are not a lot of wonderful alternatives.
Men are lucky, they have basically two objects and therefore two things to name. We females, however, have a whole lotta stuff "down there" and of course every goddamned bit of it has to have its own name. Then the whole thing has to be named. Bleh.
Of course, there are so many slang-words for the female genitals, just as there are for men. The words for male apparatus (dick, cock, schlong) can either refer to the "important part" or to the whole thing itself (although there are seperate words for the other parts as well - balls, nuts, nutsack, jewels).
Slang terms for the female, are generally for the the main entrance (box, hole) or the whole bloomin shmere (pussy, gash, slash). There is only one term I know of for each of the "important parts" (clit and G-Spot) but either is really just an abbreviation; not really a term in and of itself.
The fact is, although using euphemisms for male parts is common to the point of being perfectly acceptable (and enjoyable)in bed, slang terms for the feminine area are not widely regarded as being attractive. The termonology for the male member is so married to the object of affection that merely using the word tends to evoke the image itself as something one regards with subjective feeling. Meaning to say, however I feel about the male genitals is pretty much how I feel when hearing the common terms for the male genitals. This is not true of female genitals (at least for me and quite a few females I know). Meaning that how I feel when hearing slang terms for the female genitals (which is not so favorable) is not at all the same as how I feel when confronted with female genitals (which is pretty darned happy most of the time - provided I should get so lucky)
When one is lying in repose with laboured breath one will easily accept nearly any terminology so long as satisfaction is around the corner. Aside from that immediate effect, having to hear my most beloved parts referred to something that is derived from the French word for "fish" (and incidently is also a slang term for an animal reknown for enjoying fish) does not do any favors for my sensual mood. (Neither does it help that "Pussy" comes awfully close to the evocation of the word "pus")
I wish, how I wish, that there was a more universally acceptable term for my beloved parts!
When I am conversing with others, fully clothed, the female genitals can be referred to with a variety of words; the choice of which is dependant upon the context of the conversation. Even in the most comfortable of company I have noticed how uncomfortable women are when having to refer to their own anatomy. Why is it we can talk about our "tits", "boobs", "breasts", or "hooters" but not our vaginas with ease?
Ugh, there it is. That word. Vagina. I don't care what men say, it's a stupid-sounding word. It carries connotations of childlike slurring as well as being phonetically aligned with words like "Virgin", "slime" and "angina" - none of which are remotely pleasant thoughts. (yeah yeah, there's nothing wrong with being a virgin but if you've gotten to the point of discussing your (or anyone elses) feminine parts then you've most likely said 'sayonara' to your virginity a long time ago and would not care to take a walk down memory lane)
What the fuck is up with that word? Who thought of it? What woman-hating doctor came up with such a degraded term for something that probably brought him only pleasure? I'm sorry, I suppose I should be all feminista and take that word and "empower" it or whatever, but the fact is that it just sounds stupid.
Then there's "cunt". Personally, I am okay with that word. It's not very sexy, but it's not repulsive either. It has a short, staccatto sound (like "cock" and "dick") so it has that somewhat forceful aspect, but it's a softened staccatto, which is kind of feminine when you think of it. I'd probably like that word better if it weren't occasionally used to describe someone who is a serious bitch-and-a-half. Hell, I've heard it used on men too, which isn't something I can say for the male term ("dick"). Used for a man, "cunt" typically implies a certain feminine bitchiness as well as a generalized asinine nature. Which is all to the good I think, men certainly can be bitches - be they straight or gay.
But I'm getting off the point here... or maybe that is part of the point. The common words for the beloved part of the female always ends up sounding vaguely negative. There's just no getting around all the connotations. There's just no erasing the phonetic similaritites. There's just no "taking back" the term and making it nice - no matter how you feel at the moment of utterence. Perhaps the female genitals shouldn't be thought of as "nice. Maybe therein lies the problem. Gender arguments aside, beloved female parts are responsible for many things (childbirth, menstruation, cramps, PMS) many of which are not exactly looked upon favorably. The beloved female parts are responsible for only ONE thing that is universally regarded as positive (sexual gratification). Even though factions of our culture strive to pretend that gratification is not a good thing, we all know the truth.
Hypocritical or not, the beloved female parts are a source of mystery and confusion as well as pleasure, but I believe it is their life-giving nature that continues to keep them down (as it were). The mere idea that a human life can spring forth from such hidden depths causes many an unpredictable reaction. Whatever you think or feel about progeneration, beloved female parts are essential to the argument. There ain't no getting around their involvement. The disparity of opinion and personal attachments to the idea of progeneration almost guarantees that there will never be universal acceptability of the beloved female parts. Thus, I conclude that there will most likely never be universally acceptable terminology for the beloved female parts.
My favorite is "snatch". Think what you will.
