Re: [ozmidwifery] Bumper stickers for ladies!

[Aviva Sheb'a]

It's only taken me a month to get around to looking up "Lady" in Blackie's Compact Etymological Dictionary.   "Lady, n. O.E. hlaefdige, f. hlaf, bread, LOAF + (prob.) root dip- , as in Goth. deigan, to knead. DOUGH. LORD. Formerly, the mistress of a household. A female ruler; the Virgin Mary; a woman of high position in society or of good breeding; part of the custormary designation of certain women of high rank."   Alas, it doesn't say exactly when the term came about, but O.E. being Old English means it's a bloody long time ago. I think Female Ruler is a good term for women, especially in labour and birthing! Female Ruler does not imply being at all submissive -- on the contrary, it implies just the opposite. It doesn't say anything about sitting with the legs together. As a matter of fact, one of the reasons long, full dresses were worn, was so that women -- ladies -- could sit with their legs apart without men getting carried away, also it meant being able to wear sanitary pads, which were more like nappies, without it being obvious.   Another entry: "Girl" Origin obscure. A female child. No wonder I don't like being referred to as a girl. Female children don't get much credit in our society as a rule.   I love being a woman, a lady, a femme. Shall we reclaim the title, Lady?   Aviva     ----- Original Message ----- From: Denise Hynd To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 12:06 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Bumper stickers for ladies! Dear kathleen  I agree with what you say re Lady tagg.   Can anyone with an etymological dictionary explain the derivation of woman I just here WOE MAN when it is said and the rib from Adam stuff, man came/ comes first therefore women are God's afterthought??   Denise ----- Original Message ----- From: Kathleen Fahy To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Carolyn Hastie ; Lyn Ebert Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Bumper stickers for ladies! Dear Aviva,   I am one of those people who object to the term 'lady' and here is why.   Lady is a term that has a particular set of expected behaviours.  Those behaviours are the traditional feminine and submissive ones.  Some women like behaving like ladies as it gains approval and assistance.  Other women don't like behaving in those ways, or at least not all the time.  In other words we don't want those expectations of behaviour put upon us by others.   Thus, I cringe when I hear women who are the clients of midwifery services referred to as 'ladies' instead of 'women'.  The concept of woman has not such behavioural expectations associated with it.   Best wishes,   Kathleen   -------------------------------------------------------------- Kathleen Fahy Professor of Midwifery Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery Faculty of Health The University of Newcastle University Drive, Callaghan, 2308   Ph 02 49215966   Fax 02 49216981 >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 12/01/02 11:04am >>> Hello, All,   I refer to myself as a human being, a woman, as a lady, but most importantly, as me.   One of my definitions of Woman: Woe to any man who attempts to harness me!   A very dear male friend of mine defines a lady as a woman who has the patience to sit while the gentleman goes around to make her life just that little bit easier for a moment, by opening the car door and hold it open for her...to show his appreciation of her. After all, if she's wearing a dress, &/or high heels, OR is pregnant, mothering, menopausing, PMT-ing, or otherwise feeling in any way vulnerable, small acts like opening heavy doors etc., can make her life easier. Personally, I like that. It was only when I was pregnant with Leslie and found opening very heavy doors to public buildings, and standing in trams became an issue for me, that I realised being a lady DID NOT mean sitting with one's knees together, but meant allowing others to make my life pleasanter.   Enough of my prattling...I have some wonderful news! I'll put it in a separate email, so for those who have had no interest in the lady bit will still read it!   Love to all the women, ladies, gents etc. on the list,   Aviva     ----- Original Message ----- From: Denise Hynd To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 8:38 PM Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Bumper stickers for ladies!   Dear Pinky I enjoyed and then thought about what the title we use for  ourselves means etymologically, overtly and co-vertly. Do I refer to myself as a Woman, lady or girl?? Which do I prefer and why. Possibly neither! Denise     ---   Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.434 / Virus Database: 243 - Release Date: 25/12/02