# Is "chick" allowed? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 30, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703 "2020-03-30T21:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/41 "2020-03-31T14:57:16Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Fuck the word police comin’ straight from the underground. Word police? 😕 Unless some mods chime in, no one here is telling you what words you can and can’t use. People are explaining the connotations of “chick”. What you choose to do with that info is up to you. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/42 "2020-03-31T14:58:32Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Well, it must be a pretty strong word, since it apparently reverberates throughout an entire gender m even though I only used it to describe one person. > > And I just turned 50, so I guess I am old-fashioned. ::Rilchiam shuffles off to crochet and watch The 700 Club:: > > ETA: Oh no, I said “shuffle”. Now I’m ageist. This is like applying for a major bank loan wearing a torn dirty tee shirt and a backwards ball cap and then screaming prejudice because you got turned down. Words matter, and their meanings change over time. Many women are going to make a judgement call about you based on your referring to them as chicks. If you want to be pegged as a proudly retrograde misogynist, then by all means keep using it. No, it isn’t as bad as some words, it is more faintly demeaning than some I can easily think of, but it now reads as a slur, if a man says it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/43 "2020-03-31T15:03:11Z")
I use the term “chick flick” and find it useful in getting my point across. Explaining why I do not want to see a movie _without_ using the term would be difficult/impossible to do in two words. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/44 "2020-03-31T15:21:01Z")
What even is a chick flick? Movies I’ve seen described as chick flick: The Craft The Devil Wears Prada The Notebook Bridget Jones’ Diary Love, Actually 10 Things I Hate About You The Princess Diaries Little Women Steel Magnolias Breakfast at Tiffany’s Clueless Granted, there’s genre overlap but chick flick covers rom-coms, dramas, and even a little into horror and the main characters span the gamut of ages. If there’s one unifying aspect, it’s maybe that what masculine focus the movie may have is more or less incidental, but even that is debatable. I’d prefer if you used more than two words because “chick flick” does not clarify for me why a particular movie doesn’t appeal to you. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/45 "2020-03-31T15:27:09Z")
It’s not inherently offensive. It is used offensively by some people. And some people take offense at any informality regardless of intention. So it’s a judgment call based on context. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/46 "2020-03-31T15:38:16Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I’d prefer if you used more than two words because “chick flick” does not clarify for me why a particular movie doesn’t appeal to you. Really? Your list seems fine to me. I can’t see how I could clarify beyond “it’s a chick flick” when I haven’t seen the movie. > [@](#): > > Chick flick is a slang term for the film genre dealing mainly with love and romance which is targeted to a female audience. It can be specifically defined as a genre in which a woman is the protagonist. … Chick flicks often are released en masse around Valentine’s Day ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/47 "2020-03-31T15:49:58Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Sorry, I didn’t get the memo. That explains the lack of cover sheets on your TPS reports. I’ll just go ahead and make sure you get a copy. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/48 "2020-03-31T15:55:57Z")
The Craft and Steel Magnolias are movies dealing mainly with love and romance? I just googled the first 4 movies in my list and none of them came out within 2 months of valentine’s day. Your definition reads like someone coming up with a definition to fit some pre-conceived notions, not one built out of analyses of movies popularly considered chick flicks. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/49 "2020-03-31T16:00:12Z")
I think the general definition of chickflick would be a movie that women generally like more than men,and the kind of movie a guy might watch only to please his girlfriend or wife, but he personally has no interest in at all. Is that an ironclad definition, no but then there never are. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/50 "2020-03-31T16:10:45Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > It can be specifically defined as a genre in which a woman is the protagonist Good grief. Any movie in which a woman is the protagonist is a “chick flick” and you don’t want to see it? Do you think that women should assume they don’t want to see any movie in which a man is the protagonist? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/51 "2020-03-31T16:40:29Z")
Is “rom-com” a better term? I know I’d never sit through a “rom-com”, but I thought “chick-flick” was a better term, including “rom-coms” as well as “period romance” and other genres. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Good grief. Any movie in which a woman is the protagonist is a “chick flick” and you don’t want to see it? > > Do you think that women should assume they don’t want to see any movie in which a man is the protagonist? That quote was something I grabbed off google. I’d watch a movie with a woman as protagonist if the movie wasn’t a romance/comedy/etc. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/52 "2020-03-31T16:53:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Is “rom-com” a better term? I know I’d never sit through a “rom-com”, but I thought “chick-flick” was a better term, including “rom-coms” as well as “period romance” and other genres. > > That quote was something I grabbed off google. I’d watch a movie with a woman as protagonist if the movie wasn’t a romance/comedy/etc. Yeah, like Showgirls. Ha! I slay myself. There are many movies with female protagonists that I would be happy to watch and that aren’t “chick-flicks” which is a broader category than rom-com, in my opinion. Some examples: Captain Marvel, Alien(s), Silence of the Lambs, The Wizard of Oz, the Blind Side, Erin Brockovich. My opinion of the work “chick” is that it shouldn’t really be used to describe another woman, even if you’re a woman, even if you don’t personally find it offensive. It’s not nearly as bad as “nigga”, and many black Americans don’t find that offensive when they refer to each other or themselves that way – just listen to many modern hip hop songs. We still wouldn’t want a poster here, black or not, to refer to a movie character as “that nigga with the long hair”. Again, for emphasis, “chick” is nothing close to “nigga”, but it’s still dismissive of women. I don’t think it should be modded (like “nigga” would likely be), but it doesn’t add anything to a conversation and may offend other posters. Plus, it’s not like I know the sex of every poster on the board – how do I know you’re not a misogynist male pretending to be a woman? So, what about “chick-flick”? I find that less off-putting than referring to a woman as a chick, but I can’t say that I know why. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/53 "2020-03-31T17:28:53Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Good grief. Any movie in which a woman is the protagonist is a “chick flick” and you don’t want to see it? > > Do you think that women should assume they don’t want to see any movie in which a man is the protagonist? And if the presumption is that a “chick flick” is _a priori_ inferior or unworthy, then it speaks to the issue at hand. As **Inner Stickler** was saying, I believe, some depend on the (pejorative) connotation of the term to suffice, instead of a specific description, such as saying, for example, that the movie is sentimental or formulaic. In other words, there are all kinds of films with women protagonists that aren’t necessarily disagreeable out of hand–unless one believes that by definition they are. I would note, though, that a compound noun doesn’t necessarily carry the exact same connotations as its elements, and terms can be co-opted (proactively or not), which influences the connotation, (e.g., from pejorative to approving). ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/54 "2020-03-31T18:58:47Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Is “rom-com” a better term? I know I’d never sit through a “rom-com”, but I thought “chick-flick” was a better term, including “rom-coms” as well as “period romance” and other genres. > > That quote was something I grabbed off google. I’d watch a movie with a woman as protagonist if the movie wasn’t a romance/comedy/etc. Yes, “rom-com” is a better term. It means something reasonably specific, and it doesn’t categorize on the basis of gender. If you want to be more general, you could use “romance”. And there are all sorts of quotes on Google. That’s the particular one you chose to grab; and you didn’t qualify it when you first posted it. I’m somewhat relieved that you appear to be disagreeing with it now. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/55 "2020-03-31T23:33:26Z")
Wtf? A “rom-com” is a romantic comedy. A “chick-flick” is a movie that appeals to a female audience. They are not remotely interchangeable even if most people think rom-coms are chick-flicks. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/56 "2020-04-01T00:13:19Z")
For my purposes, I know what movies I don’t like. I just call them chick flicks because they are at least close to being in that genre. I know them when I see them, but they are rom-coms, “cute” movies, uplifting films, etc. You know, chick flicks. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/57 "2020-04-01T01:17:51Z")
Though I am male, I recommend Mr. Right with Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/58 "2020-04-01T01:24:05Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Chick: tiny, soft, shy, fluffy, easily squished, insignificant. > > There is no equivalent word for men. “Dude” is just a casual word for males, it implies nothing much at all except casualness. I think “bro” comes closer than “dude” when used as a descriptor rather than a standin for a name (as in “hey bro” which, like “hey dude”, is more just a casual greeting). When used like in the phrase “Bernie bro”, it implies youth and insignificance, albeit without the connotations of physical weakness that calling someone a newborn chicken conjures. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/59 "2020-04-01T02:20:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > For my purposes, I know what movies I don’t like. I just call them chick flicks because they are at least close to being in that genre. I know them when I see them, but they are rom-coms, “cute” movies, uplifting films, etc. You know, chick flicks. It’s not a genre. And it is denigrating. There’s a very strong connotation of ‘these are silly movies that only women would like; but they’re not worthy of the attention of a proper Man’. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703/60 "2020-04-01T07:30:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > For my purposes, I know what movies I don’t like. I just call them chick flicks because they are at least close to being in that genre. I know them when I see them, but they are rom-coms, “cute” movies, uplifting films, etc. You know, chick flicks. Dear Diary: TIL that _Hidden Figures_, _Babe_,\* October Sky\*, _School of Rock_, _Cool Runnings_, _Slumdog Millionaire_, _Big Fish_ and \*Rocky \*are “chick flicks”. Since those are part of the list of “uplifting films” I just got from Google. Yes, notorious “chick flick”, that _Rocky_. Oh, _Rudy_, too, famously chick-y. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chick-allowed/850703.md?page=4)