- We really really need to stop titling novels “The [X]’s Daughter”. Not only are they hard to tell apart, and way overdone, but must we continue to define girls and women this way?
- Alternate titles:
“The woman in relationship only to herself”
“The woman defined as her own person rather than as her relationship to another” - Also, why does everything have “: A Novel” in the title? For real, you think we can’t tell it’s a novel? Stop with cutesy titles and just call things the names of novels! I know it’s really hard to think of good new names, but start now.
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Could we maybe have pop songs retire the phrase, “You’re a good girl”? I get that they’re into the whole madonna – whore thing, but can’t we retire it?
- Note: it is ok to use the phrase, “You’re a good girl” if the song is about an actual canine. But you can’t then put sexual euphemisms or overt sexual stuff in there because dogs can’t consent.
- We are happy to see women’s heads back on covers.
- Misogyny, I hate you.
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Some notes for book publishers and all types of writers
December 24, 2013 — nicoleandmaggie4 Responses to “Some notes for book publishers and all types of writers”
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Grumpy Rumblings (of the formerly untenured) 
December 24, 2013 at 8:54 am
You can also use “You’re a good girl” when you’re talking about actual female children (though you should probably aim for something more interesting in your story and you still don’t get to have sexual stuff in there).
Here’s one for news writers–whenever there’s a story about rape, the victim is usually described as a “young girl.” Well, a 25-year-old is not a girl anymore. And a 16-year-old is not a young girl, she’s an old girl. And a 10-year old is a medium girl. Rape is actually horrible at any age (and any gender) but I’m sure you can think of some other, more true adjective to make this clear if you really feel you need one.
December 24, 2013 at 9:08 am
Good girl for female human children is also problematic in many ways.
December 24, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Re: “good girl” is what happened when misogynists sit down and write a song in 30 minutes, thinking about street harassment (citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blurred_Lines).
At this point, I wouldn’t say it to an affectionately regarded pet, let alone a human or an impressionable young one.
December 24, 2013 at 12:46 pm
That’s not the only one on the airwaves right now! (The other one, however, is much less catchy, an artifact, no doubt, of not plagiarizing the music from minority musicians.)