Any language system has power relations embedded in it, and those who are part of the dominant linguistic system tend to have their perceptions, experiences, and modes of expression incorporated into language. In the case of English, Kramarae believes that it is a ‘man-made language’ and thus embodies the perspectives of the masculine more than the feminine. The perceptions of white middle-class males, in particular, are normalized in standard linguistic practice. Men are the standard, for instance, in many occupational terms, and women are the aberrant category: waiter versus waitress, actor versus actress. Mr. as a title of address does not contain information about marital status, whereas the terms Miss and Mrs. do provide information that is more useful to men than to women. Not only language itself but the instruments of language—dictionaries—feature white men’s viewpoints, as do the societal structures and institutions that derive from language, such as educational institutions, technology, and the like.

[TW: Rape, Sexual Violence]

“we are here to tell her that women have every right to be adventurous. We will be adventurous. We will be reckless. We will be rash. We will do nothing for our safety. Don’t you dare tell us how to dress, when to go out at night, in the day, or how to walk or how many escorts we need! I am saying this because I feel that the word ‘safety’ with regard to women has been used far too much — all us women know what this ‘safety’ refers to, we have heard our parents use it, we have heard our communities, our principals, our wardens use it. Women know what ‘safety’ refers to. It means – You behave yourself. You get back into the house. You don’t dress in a particular way. Do not live by your freedom, and this means that you are safe. A whole range of patriarchal laws and institutions tell us what to do in the guise of keeping us ‘safe’. We reject this entire notion. We don’t want it.”