It’s not necessarily something we think too hard about before we speak.
To most, even myself, girls and women are the same general term, used to describe anyone representing and identifying as the female gender.
But that’s not the true definition. Now, how we as a society got to the point where we began interchanging the two terms so casually remains unknown – because it’s definitely not the same for differentiating boys and men – but a few fellow female sports journalists have their opinions, as do I.
It could be due to the societal projection of the female image, how society wants women to look and act, and how sports, where you need to be powerful and strong, goes against this entirely. It could be to make female athletes less potent versions of themselves to fit them into this strategically small box, the unconscious stereotypes and fulfill the grotesque male desire.
Proper terminology usage has become a more prevalent issue to address and fix over the last few months, especially on Twitter.
