I am an adult—therefore, I am a woman.

This is something that really annoys me, but in the past I’ve also been guilty of referring to women as girls. But I’ve made a conscious effort to stop, because language matters.

In the video, Mayim Bialik explains why we all need to stop referring to adult females as girls. And she backs it with science (Yay for Science!).

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is the theory that language one uses influences the way in which people think about things. And so, when we refer to grown women as girls we are in fact implying that they are not mature adults, as well as perpetuate gender biases and stereotypes of gender roles. Mayim states it perfectly…

“Language sets expectations. Let’s set ourselves up to have women behave as mature, responsible women.”—Mayim Bialik

So, please, please, please take four minutes out of your day to watch the video. You might learn something new (and that’s always a bonus!).