topic Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender. in Q Talk

Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

this is my nic — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:07:25 GMT

This topic probably has been discussed before, but I didn't see it so here goes!

Inanimate objects, such as clothing and handbags do not have a gender. Referring to them as "she" or "her" is ridiculous. I recall hosts referring to Dooney bags as if the bag were female, then it began with clothing. I just don't understand why anyone would think this is a good idea. It's not cute, it sounds, well, plain stupid.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

millieshops — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:25:50 GMT

@this is my nicBut cars and boats have genders, so why not other things too?

I've forgotten lots of the grammar I learned 60 years ago when I studied some German, but I remember one of the challenges was to learn the genders for nouns that had gender designations that didn't rely on any biological basis.

Language is funny stuff sometimes.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

lovesrecess — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:33:08 GMT

Interesting that now referring to women with " she" or " her" is considered microagression...guess the handbags aren't easily offended. Another reason I don't watch most Q videos with the volume on....if it's shoes or a handbag, I know they will say "let me take you on a tour"...

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Mothertrucker — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:39:53 GMT

Very true, in the English language, nouns have no gender, but in most others, including ALL Romance languages, they do..

In fact, in French, a purse is male... So is a hat, but a baselball cap is female...

Does this really actually bother people?

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Venezia — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:35:46 GMT

@this is my nic- I couldn't agree with you more! Yes, it's been discussed before, but it is still just as ridiculous.

It also drives me nuts, when they keep saying you "wear" a handbag. No, you don't; it's not a piece of clothing. You "carry" a handbag.

I didn't realize they'd started referring to pieces of clothing as "she" or "her". I wonder why they want to dumb down everything? Cute, it isn't.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

chessylady — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:48:59 GMT

Infantilizing women, can you imagine men being marketed to in this way? Blame it on the Kardashians.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Justice4all — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:51:13 GMT

A ship is a 'she' but something as insignificant as a rag or bag insults women when refered to as 'She.'

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Mona_L — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:51:54 GMT

Spanish:

la blusa = blouse (la is feminine ... her)

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

millieshops — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 01:58:14 GMT

@chessyladyActually I can imagine men being marketed to this way - I'd again point out that cars and boats have been "females" long before the Kardashians were on the scene. And as I was thinking more about this idea, I'm thinking I used to hear men call their favorite hunting rifles "she."

QVC related -- the first person I remember giving playing with the gender language was Isaac. He has massive knowledge and his own special sense of what sells, and I think pairing him with Shawn works well because I've never seen her fearful about playing with language either. It's one of the reasons I like listening to their shows together.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Venezia — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:01:09 GMT

@chessylady wrote:
Infantilizing women, can you imagine men being marketed to in this way? Blame it on the Kardashians.

@chessylady- Oh my, that's exactly what I thought, but didn't say. I think they're responsible for a lot of "stuff".

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

spiderw — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:03:00 GMT

In the scheme of things it isn't a big deal but I find it silly and if it's supposed to be a selling point , it doesn't work for me. But as I always say take if from the source.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

this is my nic — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:03:10 GMT

Yes, other languages designate male or female terms to inanimate objects. However, we speak English and inanimate objects do not have a gender.

Yes, this does bother some people, me for example. I was taught English grammar by a real stickler for correct usage, and my mother reinforced that at home.

Ships were/are referred to as "she", it has been accepted for centuries. Not so with clothing and handbags. If one is involved in the media one should speak properly. Referring to items in the feminine is done only by TV sales people. I guess someone thought it was cute. It's not.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Venezia — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:09:59 GMT

Yes, nouns have gender in many other languages. They don't in English, so I see no reason to refer to them in that way. It's almost pretentious.

(ETA: @this is my nic - Great minds think alike! I was posting, it seems, at the same time you were.)

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Oolongtea — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:10:17 GMT

English has a long history of assigning genders to non-living things. Read historical correspondence and you will find that entire nations are usually referred to as She, along with aforementioned ships.

I truly do not understand why people are offended by this quirk of the language, but I suppose finding things with which to take umbrage is a pastime for some.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Georgiagrama — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:11:22 GMT

@this is my nic wrote:
This topic probably has been discussed before, but I didn't see it so here goes!

Inanimate objects, such as clothing and handbags do not have a gender. Referring to them as "she" or "her" is ridiculous. I recall hosts referring to Dooney bags as if the bag were female, then it began with clothing. I just don't understand why anyone would think this is a good idea. It's not cute, it sounds, well, plain stupid.

I completely agree with you. It started with Shawn when she first started and snowballed from there. I said something about it once and was blasted. She also started trend to say "on the day" which also drives me nuts. How do you put something on a day??? One of many reasons I no longer watch QVC.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Venezia — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:24:21 GMT

@Oolongtea wrote:
English has a long history of assigning genders to non-living things. Read historical correspondence and you will find that entire nations are usually referred to as She, along with aforementioned ships.

I truly do not understand why people are offended by this quirk of the language, but I suppose finding things with which to take umbrage is a pastime for some.

@Oolongtea- Well, I certainly take umbrage at that statement. Just because some of us prefer not to hear the English language butchered doesn't mean it qualifies as a "pastime" for us.

And, no, a piece of clothing or a handbag has never had a gender assigned to it in the English language. This is a very recent "trend" and, to be honest, the only place I've ever heard it is from some of the QVC hosts.

Perhaps you could try to be a little less rude in future. No need to insult posters who don't share your point of view.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

YorkieonmyPillow — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:23:17 GMT

@this is my nic wrote:
Yes, other languages designate male or female terms to inanimate objects. However, we speak English and inanimate objects do not have a gender.

Yes, this does bother some people, me for example. I was taught English grammar by a real stickler for correct usage, and my mother reinforced that at home.

Ships were/are referred to as "she", it has been accepted for centuries. Not so with clothing and handbags. If one is involved in the media one should speak properly. Referring to items in the feminine is done only by TV sales people. I guess someone thought it was cute. It's not.

If they did, they'd probably need to offer a "translation" in subtitles!

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Justice4all — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:26:11 GMT

Read "The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard. He explains the different ways advertisers use psychology on the unconscious to get people to buy things.

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Georgiagrama — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:34:46 GMT

@Mona_L wrote:
Spanish:

la blusa = blouse (la is feminine ... her)

As I remember this, the la is used to indicate that it is a blouse for a woman, not a shirt for a man. Not to make the blouse a "she".

Re: Clothing and handbags do not have a gender.

Daysdee — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 02:39:41 GMT

@Georgiagrama I also don't understand why she started saying "on the day." Makes no sense to me. What is wrong with "today"?