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Actors and Actresses
March 28, 2007, 20:44
shufitzActors and Actresses
An editorial in a major paper mention Mia Farrow and, in passing, said, "
Ms. Farrow is an actor ..."
This was a new usage to me. I thought
actor was male, and a female would be an
actress.
Am I off-base here?
March 28, 2007, 22:40
zmježdThey've been calling actresses actors for a while now. Perhaps a decade.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
March 29, 2007, 02:20
CaterwaullerYes, I've seen this trend for a while, too. At some point it became demeaning to use the female form of the word, somehow implying that the male form of the word carries with it a greater prestige or professionalism. I think it's hooey . . . but if they all wish to be called actors, so be it.
*******
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
~Dalai Lama
March 29, 2007, 10:47
neveuWell, it is kind of odd to have a different name for the same occupation. The woman who installed my cabinets was not a carpentrice, and you are not called a librarienne.
March 29, 2007, 16:17
Myth JelliesIt is not all that odd.
You do have waiters and waitresses, stewards and stewardesses, kings and queens and gender names for royalty on down the line.
Myth Jellies
Cerebroplegia--the cure is within our grasp
March 29, 2007, 18:20
wordnerdquote:
Well, it is kind of odd to have a different name for the same occupation. The woman who installed my cabinets was not a carpentrice, and you are not called a librarienne.Yes, but a carpenter or librarian, regardless of gender, can do exactly the same job. On the other hand, it's a bit tricky for a male actor to fill a female role, or for a female actress to play a male part.
(And yes, I know that it
has been done occasionally, as in
Tootsie and
Mrs. Doubtfire. But that in no way refutes the generality.)
March 29, 2007, 20:17
KallehTo my knowledge, I've only seen women called actresses. On the other hand, I don't read a lot about actors and actresses, so obviously I've missed the evolution of the word "actor." Interesting. I can't imagine why that's changed.
March 29, 2007, 21:44
BobKbergOk, how about the following?
Ballerino
Tailor vs. Seamstress
Schoolteacher, Attorney, Accountant, Engineer
Hairdresser vs. Stylist
As for actors filling female roles - during the middle ages, that was standard. Remember "Shakespeare in Love" where Gwyneth Paltrow played a man playing a woman? Or Viktor/Victoria with Julie Andrews doing the same, but in very different eras.
Bob
March 30, 2007, 00:26
Myth JelliesIt may have something to do with when women started working in those occupations. For the oldest profession, you have prostitutes/etc. versus gigolos
Priest versus priestess
It also seems that the drive to be politically correct is eliminating many of these female specific job titles. "Actress" appears to be on the way out. "Policewoman" used to be pretty common, and now it seems practically obsolete.
You'll know we have gone off the deep end when they replace the Oscar for best actress with the rather unwieldy Oscar for best female actor.
Myth Jellies
Cerebroplegia--the cure is within our grasp
March 30, 2007, 11:15
neveuquote:
It may have something to do with when women started working in those occupations.
Waiters and waitresses do the same job, as do stewardesses and stewards. My guess is that these jobs were originally almost exclusively single gender, hence the gender specific name. A similar phenomenon is the "male X" occupations, like male nurse and male model.
March 31, 2007, 09:08
Quentin LettsPriestess is infinitely preferable to "woman priest". At least when the politically correct brigade use "actor" about female performers they do not use "woman actor". It is arguable that "actress" suggests something fluffy and daffy and dizzy. I'm not sure I'd agree but I can see the point of view.
I do hate that use of "woman" as an adjective. It is used frequently in the British media - women bus drivers, women MPs, etc.
Priestess also evokes something of the sacrifical goat, with throat-slitting and tall hats. They had more fun in the old days, didn't they?
March 31, 2007, 09:20
Richard Englishquote:
They had more fun in the old days, didn't they?
It is my understanding that the term "actress" in the 18th and 19th centuries was a euphemism for prostitute. Much as is the term "model" in Soho today - although I have noted its gradual disappearance over the past 30 years or so, simply to be replaced by the lady's name and maybe nationality.
And for the benefit of those who do not know London, Soho is not just a Red Light District, neither is it especially sleazy. Indeed, some of London's finest pubs and restaurants can be found betwixt the four circuses. I often walk around Soho if I have time to kill; it is one of my favourite London villages.
Richard English
March 31, 2007, 10:01
BobHalequote:
Originally posted by Richard English:
quote:
They had more fun in the old days, didn't they?
It is my understanding that the term "actress" in the 18th and 19th centuries was a euphemism for prostitute. Much as is the term "model" in Soho today - although I have noted its gradual disappearance over the past 30 years or so, simply to be replaced by the lady's name and maybe nationality.
It sounds as if your research has been exhausting... er exhaustive.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
March 31, 2007, 10:04
BobHaleAnd while I think about it , here's one of my limericks from the OEDILF...
An
adventurer's a brave man and bold,
Of whom stirring stories are told.
But an
adventuressWell that's rather less
For she's only after his gold.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.