marzipanandminutiae:randomishnickname:rururinchan:I found sources. The word “man” was gender neutral
marzipanandminutiae:randomishnickname:rururinchan:I found sources. The word “man” was gender neutral and referred to both sexes until the 13th centuryThe female specific pronoun “she” was invented in the 12th century. The word “girl” was gender neutral and referred to children of both sexes until the 15th centuryHigh heels were invented for men and were worn predominantly by men until the 16th centuryFrom the mid 16th century to the 19th century boys would typically wear dresses until the age of 7Until the early 1930s pink was considered the appropriate colour for baby boys and blue was the colour for baby girlsIn 2017, a Christian couple pull their 6yo son out of a primary school because his classmate is transgender - citing their “traditional beliefs” IMPORTANT NOTE: Last source is transphobic and from a pro-life website that attempts to defend the dumb ass couple. Feel free to ignore it if you prefer, but it was included for the sake of accuracy. Reblogging because verifiable sources make every information 70% better. Thanks for the addition!two minor things:-”girl” as specifically a female child dates from the 14th century, not the 15th, according to the second source- the “pink for a boy; blue for a girl” thing is a bit tricker than that. in general, people color-coded babies a lot less until the early 20th century. they’d often be dressed in white or pastels during the 19th century (before that, they were dressed as miniature adults) and there were some color rules, but they were super-varied. some people did pink for boys and blue for girls; some did the reverse that is now considered “normal.” quite a large number divided colors by the child’s hair color, with pink or red for brown-haired children and blue for blond children. everyone cites it as if it was all one way and then all another, but the fact is that people just didn’t have a set, specific, codified convention for the colors to dress babies and children in until quite recently. which still proves the point that gender divisions are not as historically universal as people think- in, I feel, a more nuanced way than just saying “it used to be reversed.” -- source link
#language