“She’s Kind Of Asking For It”: 83 Toxic Men That Made Women Sick (New Pics)

The misogynistic use of the word “female” as a disparagement has been going on for a while now. A 2016 article in Time Magazine noted that the word is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as a derogatory term. 

As linguistics professor Robin Lakoff told the publication, referring to a woman as a “female” is meant to “subtly downgrade her to lower mammalian status,” much like calling a man an “ape.” 

“Any woman can get those words applied to her by the average misogynist, and makes no reference to any specific qualities other than femaleness,” Lakoff said. 

To gain a better understanding of these important issues, we may need to look at the root cause of toxic masculinity. According to psychotherapist Adam Jukes, the problem may be the concept of masculinity itself, which is introduced to young boys at an early age. 

“There’s an asymmetry in the development of boys and girls. Infant boys have to learn how to be masculine. Girls don’t. Masculinity is not in a state of crisis. Masculinity is a crisis,” Jukes said in an interview with GQ. 

Jukes also noted that while misogyny isn’t innate among men, it can be “inescapable” because masculinity exists.

For Jukes, society's progressive stance and the LGBTQ community being seen and heard can eventually eradicate misogyny and toxic masculinity. 

“They are fighting this battle for everyone, gnawing away at the edges of these definitions of femininity and masculinity, and we will all be liberated by their success,” he said.