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Players - on the game?

Posted by Lewis on November 19, 2004

In Reply to: Re: Fem equiv of "ladies' man" posted by SR on November 19, 2004

: : : : (Gary--I hope it's ok to lift a thread like this from the archive; it's just that this one didn't get much input before disappearing)

: : : : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: : : : Posted by DH on November 18, 2004
: : : : I have encountered a subtle form of sex discrimination which the PF'ers, being connoiseurs of words, might find interesting: There is evidently no feminine equivalent of "ladies man," which yields thousands upon thousands of hits; whereas "gentlemen's woman" evokes only a half-dozen

: : : : While "coquette," "vamp," and the like suggest only flirting; "siren," "seductress," et al bring to mind also sexual activity.

: : : : The closest I have come so far is the slang, "player," which however is de facto applied to men not women. It is as if mankind (or at least the word purveyors) cannot conceive of a woman who dates many men, or plays the field, without her being a slut

: : : : : I think Dale, it's just one of those imbalances in our social thinking (historically anyway). Don't forget in 'those' days you were allowed to differentiate between men and women.
: : : :
: : : : : Granted some of the differentiation was not desirable - such as this - where by implication, a man who ummm... gets about with the ladies is something of a hero, yet a women who 'gets about with the men' is a slut. I must admit, that is one differentiation that I would actually call discrimination.

: : : : : BUT - it's all part of the history of our language and who we were and the foundation that's lead to who we are now.

: : : : Lap, well put--DH

: : : []
: : : SO, I go thru all the permutations---
: : : a boy's boy, a boy's girl, a boy's man, a boy's woman
: : : a girl's boy, girl, man, woman
: : : a man's boy, girl, man*, woman*
: : : a women's boy, girl, man*, woman?
: : : a Mother's boy*, girl, little*man, woman
: : : a Mama's son, daughter, husband, wife
: : : a Father's boy, little*girl, man, woman
: : : a Father's son, daughter, husband, wife
: : : a Lady's boy, girl, man*, woman
: : : a gentlman's boy, girl, man*, woman
: : : he is all boy, she is all girl, he is all man, she is all woman
: : : WELL perhaps not all, but it is strange how hit and miss it is.
: : : 2k4nov18th16:40,lnb

: : How about "party girl" or "free spirit"?

: a lady of sporting morality? SR

"a woman of generous affections" sounds genteel and quite positive.

I do remember that there was an expression for a woman who liked being around men and was not 'girly' - I remember it being applied to a radiographer I met. She was voluptuous and enjoyed the attentions of men, but did not get on with other women very well, I suspect because she appeared to know just how to give herself 'presence'. My then girlfriend was most scathing about her being a "man's woman, not a woman's woman" and pretty much warned me against even thinking about talking to her, let alone anything else.
Despite not being slim, I can recall her wearing a low-cut red dress and looking fantastic - yet when she X-rayed my ankle at the local hospital - in her radiographer's uniform, she was barely recognisable as the same woman.

L