I don’t think “female” is offensive.
I thought it was offensive because some (supposedly female) users said it was offensive; but I didn’t understand why my female friends used the term (female).
I found another saying that it wasn’t offensive, and I immediate copied that belief.
LGBTQ+ politics is confusing …
this deserves a post of it’s own too.
IMO, bro, dude, homie are hip man/male/boy alternatives. Whereas women don’t have as many hip ones. I used to say ‘girls’, but then i saw what some people mean when the say girls in dark places on matrix (underage) and switched to women/female. Lass/lassy is old school cool and would love to see that as a come back.
Alternatively, reclaiming ‘female dog’ would work too
I’ve tended to use “female” when talking about both girls (children) and women. Calling a grown woman a girl always felt a little infantalizing, especially when that isn’t done much to men. At the same time, girls are not women, and I try to be precise in my wording. Female (and male) just make the most sense.
Ive heard this is in relation to some guys preferring women as girls sexually but it being less common for people to prefer boys sexually. Also iirc that weeb moe movement focuses on girls not boys.
I have a feeling many younger feminists have done that intentionally, treating the word as a badge of honor for their vocalness in protesting. For the past 26 years, Portland, Oregon had a feminist zine with that exact title.
i believe the term is 3rd wave feminism