MTV recently ditched the “Best Actor/Actress” awards in favor of “Best Actor,” which suggests the gender-specific term “actress” is less popular among MTV’s target audience. I added that detail, fixed some broken links, and updated the graphic. See Writing Tips: Gender Neutral Language.
Similar:
What have my students learned about creative nonfiction writing? During class they are col...
There’s No Longer Any Doubt That Hollywood Writing Is Powering AI
Sesame Street had a big plot twist in November 1986
I played hooky from work to see Wild Robot with my family
I’ve been teaching with this handout for over 25 years, updating it regularly. I just remo...
Sorry, not sorry. I don't want such friends.
I wonder if that’s why “cop” moved gradually from a slangy term to a more general usage for law enforcement officer: it’s gender neutral and less hefty than “police officer.”
And it’s a term ‘cops’ like: My Dad was an officer his whole life, chief before retirement, and all the guys on the force seemed to use “police officer” and “cop” interchangeably. The female officer in the neighboring town was a respected novelty, back’ in the day, whom they referred to as the “female cop.”