There must be male equivalents, right? However, the few masculine colloquialisms I found are mostly positive: Jack of all Trades, Happy as Larry, Curious George, Even Steven. The deeper question is, what does it say about our collective understanding of gender roles if all these derogatory expressions are popularized by shows and politicians we see every day? Masculine traits It is not hard to see most of these expressions originated in popular culture and politics.
Its exact origin is unknown, but it is said to have European roots dated back to the 18th century.
Lazy Susan: a turntable usually found in Chinese restaurants, also known as a “dumb waiter”.Nervous Nellie: an expression started in the 20s but popularized by President Johnson referring to his Vietnam policy critics in the 60s.Negative Nancy: a derivative expression from Nervous Nellie.Debbie Downer: a character in Saturday Night Live’s skit who debuted in 2004.Chatty Cathy: a doll manufactured by Mattel in the 60s.
NEGATIVE NANCY CLIPART MOVIE
Bye Felicia: a phrase from the movie “Friday” in 1995. I was curious about the origins of these colloquialisms, so I dug around the internet and found some answers. The fact that these expressions are so commonly used means we collectively imply women are too talkative and gossipy (Chatty Cathy), pessimistic (Debbie Downer), constant naysayers (Negative Nancy), lazy and unambitious (Lazy Susan), timid and anxious (Nervous Nellie), and worse still, should be dismissed because they are “random bitches that nobody is sad to see go” according to the Urban Dictionary entry of Bye Felicia. Feminine traitsĬhatty Cathy, Debbie Downer, Lazy Susan, Negative Nancy, Nervous Nellie, and Bye Felicia, all associate female names with negative traits. If there are biases you notice, please point it out, I’ll be very happy to discuss it. That said, I still contend that there is a general tendency for common colloquialisms to paint women in a bad light, while not doing the same to men. I should preface this by saying I did not grow up in an English-speaking country, so my list is likely incomplete. I started writing down expressions that are gendered and potentially sexist, and there’s quite a number of them. This is an actual conversation I had a few weeks ago. “Nah - the park doesn’t look that interesting.” “Wanna go for a walk? It’s very nice out.”
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