I’m not sure if there was a particular point from this book sparked this, but I am absolutely disgusted by the current state of the English language and how it defines Our sex. If I say woman, it’s an afterthought. Female? Afterthought. Hell, even the vagina is merely a sheath for a sword. Human, humanity, mankind, homo sapiens, person… all of it is riddled with the same narrative this book describes. As this book sheds light on how We became an afterthought, I find it ironic that god was largely the afterthought all along. This is even true in my own culture where the indigenous pre-colonial religion was dominated by a Goddess who was the forefront of creation itself—all other gods birthed from Her.

Though I identify as non-binary (you may understand why after reading feminist literature like this and gaining the desire to rid oneself of the gender binary entirely) I do resonate with womanhood and women in general because of my lived experience. There is no denial in how I was born, nor am I ashamed of it. Contrary to some, I avoid “divine feminine” rhetoric due to its bioessentialist foundation. At my core, I strongly oppose sexism and any systemic oppression of human rights. Everyone should be able to freely identify with themselves as they please without imposing on another. Because of this, the current state of the world—particularly in Eurocentric spaces—feels exhaustingly oppressive. This book illustrates some of the core gripes regarding sex and gender that I find exceptionally egregious in modern society. In it reveals several levels of misogyny that pervade our world today, and for the purpose of this post, I’d love to explore the linguistic misogynist implications.

So, what are We called? Would you want to name Us something different? Please, tell me your lived experiences, how you resonated with this book, and what you think We should go by. If you speak another language, perhaps explore the etymology of the equivalent of “woman” in your language—does it share misogynistic origins like it does in English? If not, what does it mean and why?

To start, “mujer”, or “woman” in Spanish, seems to lack a proper agreed-upon etymological origin as far as I could tell from research. From “mujer” to “mulier”, the word could be associated with “mollis” in Latin which relates to softness, or “melior” which would be “better”. Perhaps slightly better? I suppose? Not feeling the constant association with softness. “Hembra” or “female” has (basically) the same origin as “female” so the story ends there. I’m unsure what to coin Us specifically when it comes to namesake, but I do think other cultures may offer some wisdom in omitting reference to sex and gender entirely, and instead favoring the descriptions of one’s being as an individual (i.e. focusing on general adjectives).