fapp and phallologocentrism

[Jonathan Lighter]

To "jill off" went nowhere.

Female masturbation is widely known as "masturbation."

Are we sure that "jack off" is used only of males?  Why should it be?

What about "jerk off"? That certainly seems appropriate to many cultural
theorists of either sex.

"Whack off" "Wank"?

Unlike men, women apparently wish to retain their dignity in these matters.

JL

On Thu, Sep 11, 2014 at 7:47 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
> Subject:      fapp and phallologocentrism
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This is not something I've followed up with any research, yet. (And I
> regret opening a rather prurient line of thinking.)
>
> But yesterday it was striking me that "fapp," being onomatopoeic in
> origin, originates from referring to *male* masturbation. "Jack off" is
> similar. And then the feminist critical theory buried under detritus in
> my mind started bubbling up and pointed out the exclusion of female
> masturbation from those terms and the corollary of denial of female
> sexuality, etc., etc. Not that I really want to know, but likely there
> are terms for female masturbation out there (and probably easily
> findable on Urban Dictionary, if I really want to follow this line of
> thinking), but I'm betting that they're not onomatopoeic.
>
> (So, I think I am once again pointing out the obvious. My work here is
> done.)
>
> ---Amy West
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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