Alphabetical Entries: V

Eve Ensler (in Sisterhood Is Forever), creator of "The Vagina Monologues," says, "When I first began to perform these monologues, I realized that just saying the word 'vagina' caused enormous controversy, because vagina is in fact the most isolated, reviled word in the English language. The words anthrax or plutonium never caused anywhere near such a stir. The taboo on this word is no accident—for as long as we cannot say vagina, vaginas do not exist. They remain isolated and unprotected."

short for "vampire," this word posits hypnotic power for women and helplessness for men, which disserves both. Vamp was popularized by Theda ("Kiss me, my fool!") Bara in the 1915 A Fool There Was. She and Pola Negri played many vamps, strongly identifying the role with women.

if there are vampires, they are both women and men; in the metaphorical sense, the word is also used of both.

taken to mean a man, this word is defined as "a servant, slave, dependent, or subordinate," and historically it included all members of the household of the feudal tenant, male and female.

vestry member, member of the vestry, parish council member.

man or woman, referring both to someone who has served in the armed services and to an experienced person.

depending on the denomination, a vicar may be either sex.

vice chair, vice chairwoman, second in command, deputy, deputy director, vice president.

these sex-specific titles (literally, vicequeen and viceking) denote the governor of a country, province, or colony, ruling as the representative of a sovereign; vicereine can mean either a ruler in her own right or the wife of a viceroy. For unofficial uses, consider deputy, ruler, sovereign, governor, regional governor, vice-consul.

in reference to those with disabilities, never use this word. Instead of "polio victim" or "victim of multiple sclerosis," say "someone who has polio" or "someone with multiple sclerosis." According to Ragged Edge, "'Victim' sensationalizes a person's disability. Instead, avoid emotional language by using 'has': 'has HIV/AIDS,' 'had polio.'" In the case of the crime of rape or other violent attacks, often the individuals do not want the "victim" label; they may prefer to be known as survivors. A general rule is to use victim if the person died in the attack, but otherwise let it be a personal preference on their part. Verify your choice of words with the people you're writing about. In addition, be careful that your material doesn't blame those injured. "We all want injustice to be the victim's fault" (Hortense Calisher). This is seen in reflections like "What was she doing at a bar at one o'clock in the morning?" or "Why did he leave his car unlocked?" See also acquaintance rape, disabilities, handicapped, provoke, rape, rape victim, she asked for it, victimization, culture of, violence.

in commenting on the "recent spate of letters, books, and columns blaming feminism for creating a 'culture of victimization' in which women are supposedly wallowing every time they stand up for their right not to be raped, beaten, sexually harassed, or denied employment or a promotion on the basis of their gender," TV anchor Brian Ashley says, "It would seem rather obvious that when a person fights back when others attempt to make her a victim that she is not 'wallowing in victimhood'; she is, in fact, fighting against it. [The very people] who are having such fun castigating women are the ones who've consistently promoted attitudes, lifestyles, and even laws that not only victimize women but establish barriers preventing women from being able to speak against their oppressors. This 'culture of victimization' baloney is nothing more than another such barrier created by these people in their attempt to recreate a 'natural order' in society. A 'natural order' in which white men are on top and everyone else, especially women, is on the bottom." Those complaining about the "culture of victimization" say that when women resort to the law for redress in sexual harassment or other such suits it only shows they are weak and need to be protected. But letter-to-the-editor writer Jodie L. Ahern says we never think that when men go to law. Is the man who sues his neighbor for a tree overhanging his property weak and in need of protection? Why doesn't he just go tell the guy to cut down his tree?

victory for the world, victory for humankind/all peoples/everyone, our common victory. See also one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

among Vietnamese, this is often called the American War to distinguish it from other wars, against the Chinese and the French, for example.

woman or man.

villain. See also feminine word endings.

violence has sexist and racist implications: men are more likely than women to be perpetrators of a wide range of violent activities; of all those arrested for violence in any year, the great majority (for the United States the figure is around 90%) are men. They are also more liable than women to be victims of violence, while black men are victims more often than white men. Although most violence is not sex-biased in that the sex of the offender or victim is not a contributing factor in the violence, there are two exceptions: (1) Men have died in wars solely because of their sex. While civilians of both sexes also die in wars, and while women have died in combat, particularly in recent years, their deaths were not institutionalized and their sex was not a factor in their deaths. Young men still face prison and fines for failing to register for the draft; young women do not. (2) Women suffer disproportionately from violence by men, primarily because they are women. According to the Justice Department, the majority of women can expect to be victims of at least one violent attack in their lifetime. A nationwide Louis Harris Poll found that 25% of the men in the sample approved of a husband slapping his spouse. "Men are raised with a sense of entitlement, privilege and expectation that women can and should do what we want them to do," says Edward Gondolf, a researcher on male violence. "And if they don't we resolve the problem with aggression and force." The violence continuum includes sexist language, anti-woman jokes, abusive lyrics, film and TV violence against women, sexual harassment, pornography, wife beating, rape, and murder. Chuck Niessen-Derry of BrotherPeace says men need to "start making the connection between the rape joke on Tuesday and the rape on Thursday." And Myriam Miedzian (Boys Will Be Boys) says, "At least 235 studies of the effects of showing violence in films and on television have overwhelmingly shown that watching violence increases violent behavior." Men are also abused by their wives and murdered by them, although in far smaller numbers. Many of the more serious assaults by wives have been reported as self-defense in response to abuse. This is not to discount the reality of abused men, but to give it perspective: men do not fear for their physical safety when passing a group of women on the street. (However, gay men as well as women may experience fear when approaching a group of men standing on a corner.) One of the indications of the violence in our culture is the violent death rate of our children; the U.S. has the highest homicide rate for children of any industrialized nation in the world. See also battered wife/woman, date rape, knockout, lady-killer, provoke, rape, sexual harassment, she asked for it, victim, violent language.

our language reflects our violent ways; it also helps perpetuate them. Consider avoiding these common expressions: kill two birds with one stone, big gun/shot, going great guns, gun-shy, under the gun, shoot full of holes, shoot from the hip, shoot down, shoot one's mouth off, shoot oneself in the foot, shot in the dark, take a shot at, call the shots, straight shooter, big shot, quick on the draw, half-cocked, deploy, half the battle, win the battle but lose the war, pick your battles, battle scars, arsenal, smash hit, hit below the belt, on target, kick an idea around, crack the whip, hit on someone, how does that strike/hit you, knock someone dead/for a loop/out, knock heads together, take a beating, sock it to 'em, give a black eye to, haul someone over the coals, hit someone up for something, slap on the wrist, skin someone alive, search and destroy, beat the tar/stuffing/living daylights out of someone, call in/out the troops, hair-trigger, blow one's top, blow somebody away, skin someone alive, bite/snap/take someone's head off, blast them out of the water, explode onto the scene, blow up, blow them away/out of the water, twist someone's arm, loose cannon, nuke your coffee, meltdown, fallout, mobilize, strategic, dead meat, dead soldiers, closing ranks, bite the bullet, magic bullet, hit them where it hurts, take a stab at it, hit or miss, pack a wallop, wipe somebody out, beat one's brains out, knock one's head against a wall, knock oneself out, kill oneself with work, this'll kill you, this'll knock 'em flat, fight the good fight, hold the fort, in the trenches, make a killing, get someone in the crosshairs, attack an argument, tell war stories, deep-six something, a real coup, heads roll, spearhead the discussion, terminate people at work. After seeing this list, consider the cumulative effect on people who use and hear this language. See also knockout, military language, political language, violence.

examine the use of violently (as in objected violently) when what you really mean is intensely, severely, excessively, virulently, stringently, urgently.

the first dictionary definition of "virago" is "a loud, overbearing woman: termagant." The second is "a woman of great stature, strength, and courage" (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). As such, it is being reclaimed by some members of the women's movement.

use only when necessary because of specific legal designations. Otherwise consider unspoiled, untouched, pristine, unused, untainted, uncharted, undeveloped, unprocessed, pure. See also Mother Nature.

if these terms are intrinsic to your material, apply them to both sexes with equal weight and meaning; in general, there are few good reasons for talking about anyone's sexual status. The double standard associates virginity or virginal behavior with women while it rewards men in subtle and unsubtle ways for being experienced. The concept of virginity is heterosexist, euphemistic, difficult to define physiologically with any precision, and alive today. Jessica Valenti (The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women) describes hundreds of purity balls, "where young girls pledge their virginity to their fathers at a promlike event." (The balls were apparently federally funded.) Valenti reports a number of purity groups are on Facebook: "schools holding abstinence rallies and assemblies featuring hip-hop dancers and comedians alongside religious leaders.... So what are young women left with? Abstinence-only education during the day and Girls Gone Wild commercials at night." And she sums up the moral of it all: "A woman's worth lies in her ability—or her refusal—to be sexual." Replace virginal with one of the dozens of neutral, more telling terms, for example: untouched, innocent, unused, uncorrupted, unsullied, wholesome, fresh, pristine, spotless, unblemished, untainted, unadulterated.

this is a properly sex-specific word when it refers to a man's ability to function sexually. In its broader sense, you may want inclusive alternatives: energetic, vigorous, forceful, strong, powerful, dynamic, spirited, daring, fearless, venturesome, courageous, intrepid, tough, audacious, dashing, potent, hardy, hearty, rugged, bold.

these terms, which come from the Latin vir for "man," have two general connotations: the first involves high-minded traits of morality, honor, integrity, and uprightness and is applied generally to men; the second deals with sexual purity (closest synonyms for this sense are chastity, virginity, and purity) and is almost always used for women. Today we rarely refer to a man as virtuous, and if we hear of "a virtuous woman," we know two things: she is chaste and her eyes are probably modestly cast down.

for some people, this is a common, unambiguous word (it is also the legal term); others find it too closely associated with visits to prisoners, and prefer access, parenting time. (The term "access" was used instead of "visitation" in the 1988 Family Support Act.)

see blind.