Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness
Are there ladies and gentlemen in the 21st century? Do we need them? In the 20th century, lady became particularly unpopular with second wave feminists, who preferred ‘woman’. Gentleman was seen as similarly politically incorrect: class, race and culture bound. Following previous...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-02-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/2/56 |
| _version_ | 1818008045443088384 |
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| author | Sonam Pelden Elizabeth Reid Boyd Madalena Grobbelaar Kwadwo Adusei-Asante Lucy Hopkins |
| author_facet | Sonam Pelden Elizabeth Reid Boyd Madalena Grobbelaar Kwadwo Adusei-Asante Lucy Hopkins |
| author_sort | Sonam Pelden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Are there ladies and gentlemen in the 21st century? Do we need them? In the 20th century, lady became particularly unpopular with second wave feminists, who preferred ‘woman’. Gentleman was seen as similarly politically incorrect: class, race and culture bound. Following previous research on the word lady, we explore here some current evocations and debates around these words. We consider how the more casual, etymologically gendered term ‘guy’ has been utilized for men and women, and how it functions to reflect and obscure gender. While the return of the lady might be considered a consumer fad, a neo-conservative post-feminist backlash, or nostalgia for an elite ‘polite society’, it also offers an opportunity for a deeper discussion about civility as part of a broader conversation that is gaining impetus in the Western world. Politeness is personal and political. Whilst evidence for a comeback of the gentleman is limited, we critically consider the re-emergence of the lady as reflecting a deeper desire for applied sexual and social ethics. Such gender ethics have global, social and cultural ramifications that we ought not to underestimate. The desire for a culture of civility is gaining momentum as we are increasingly confronted with the violent consequences of a culture without it. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:23:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f3674888d8804be9a70c8dce36776b45 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T05:23:58Z |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f3674888d8804be9a70c8dce36776b452022-12-22T02:10:05ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602019-02-01825610.3390/socsci8020056socsci8020056Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of PolitenessSonam Pelden0Elizabeth Reid Boyd1Madalena Grobbelaar2Kwadwo Adusei-Asante3Lucy Hopkins4Affiliation 1 School of Arts & Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, AustraliaAffiliation 1 School of Arts & Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, AustraliaAffiliation 1 School of Arts & Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, AustraliaAffiliation 1 School of Arts & Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, AustraliaAffiliation 1 School of Arts & Humanities, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, AustraliaAre there ladies and gentlemen in the 21st century? Do we need them? In the 20th century, lady became particularly unpopular with second wave feminists, who preferred ‘woman’. Gentleman was seen as similarly politically incorrect: class, race and culture bound. Following previous research on the word lady, we explore here some current evocations and debates around these words. We consider how the more casual, etymologically gendered term ‘guy’ has been utilized for men and women, and how it functions to reflect and obscure gender. While the return of the lady might be considered a consumer fad, a neo-conservative post-feminist backlash, or nostalgia for an elite ‘polite society’, it also offers an opportunity for a deeper discussion about civility as part of a broader conversation that is gaining impetus in the Western world. Politeness is personal and political. Whilst evidence for a comeback of the gentleman is limited, we critically consider the re-emergence of the lady as reflecting a deeper desire for applied sexual and social ethics. Such gender ethics have global, social and cultural ramifications that we ought not to underestimate. The desire for a culture of civility is gaining momentum as we are increasingly confronted with the violent consequences of a culture without it.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/2/56gender politicsladiesgentlemanguysethicscultureclass |
| spellingShingle | Sonam Pelden Elizabeth Reid Boyd Madalena Grobbelaar Kwadwo Adusei-Asante Lucy Hopkins Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness Social Sciences gender politics ladies gentleman guys ethics culture class |
| title | Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness |
| title_full | Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness |
| title_fullStr | Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness |
| title_short | Ladies, Gentlemen and Guys: The Gender Politics of Politeness |
| title_sort | ladies gentlemen and guys the gender politics of politeness |
| topic | gender politics ladies gentleman guys ethics culture class |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/2/56 |
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