Letter to the Editor: ‘Girl’ not appropriate for B

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    Dear Editor:

    I write in regards to the article about the safewalk program on the front page of Tuesday’s issue of The Daily Universe. I greatly appreciate this program. I would also appreciate being recognized as a woman.

    It seems to me there is a definite link between language and behavior. If you call someone a kid, that’s how you’ll think of him. If you call someone a jerk, that’s how you’ll treat him.

    If you call someone a girl, that attitude will influence your actions. “Girl” to some is not offensive. I’m not offended by the word “girl.” It is completely acceptable for those females ages 1 to 17. But I worry that such a diminutive term for women will lead to condescending, patriarchal treatment — the same sort of treatment that leads us to need a safewalk program.

    The word “woman” implies adulthood, maturity, and capability — qualities that BYU females strive to gain. As some would say, “It’s all about power, baby,” — “it” being rape, advertising, language or letters to the editor.

    Heather Bigley

    Calvert County, Md.

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