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Pharmacy Links

TALKING ABOUT OUR BODIES. NAMES WE USE: SLANG OR SCIENTIFIC

13/03/09

As we grow and explore our body parts, we need words to describe them. It is important to learn the proper, scientific names of the part of the body.

The proper names for body parts are the same names used by scientists and health care workers. The proper names, such as “testes” and “vagina,” are technical terms just like “liver,” “lung,” “leg,” and so on.

However, we often learn the slang terms instead. Slang names are words that people use instead of the proper scientific names. Slang name; may also be real words that are used incorrectly. Certain slang words are made by using a word we know in place of one we don’t know.

For example, when people speak of the testes, they may use the slang term “balls.” Another slang word for testes is “huevos,” which means “eggs” in Spanish. Because the testes are round, they may remind us of balls or eggs. Balls or huevos may seem more familiar, easier to remember, and easier to pronounce than “testes.” Another example is that of the slang words “tits” or “titties”—for women’s breasts. An animal’s nipples are properly called “teats.” “Teats” was changed to “tits” and “titties.” Other slang words seem to make no sense. For example, a penis is sometimes called a “Johnson.” We do not know who or what a Johnson is. Or having vaginal intercourse for the first time is often called “losing one’s cherry”—for both women and men. Obviously, there is no cherry or any other fruit inside our sex and reproductive structures. Yet “cherry” has become slang for “hymen.”

Slang is handed down from generation to generation. New slang terms are also created by the pop culture or media in each generation. Slang in one family or community is often different from the slang used in another family or community.

Some women and men agree to use slang during sex play to express and increase their excitement. Otherwise, the slang names of the sex and reproductive organs can create communication problems between men and women, people of different ages, cultures, and economic classes, and people of different professions. There are more slang terms for the sex organs and the sex acts than for any other body part or function. For example, it’s difficult to think of slang terms for “finger,” “toe,” or “elbow.”

Imagine being a doctor or nurse. To understand your patients, you may need to understand all of the slang terms that your patients use. Imagine being a patient who doesn’t understand the words the health care worker is using. A confusing situation for both people! Slang can be a real communication problem.

Respect is another reason to use the correct scientific names of our sex and reproductive organs. The person using a slang term may feel that the word is the right one to use, but the person hearing the term may be offended or hurt. For example, one person may think that “balls” is the right word to use for the testes. Another person may feel that “balls” is a very rude word. Slang names often cause strong negative emotions because many people find them rude, impolite, hurtful, or disrespectful of our own and each others’ bodies.

If using slang creates difficulty in communicating and risks the disrespect of others, why do people still use it?

Slang begins at home when parents and relatives teach a child that a “рее-pee” is a penis, “boobies” are breasts, and a “vaginy” is a vagina. These slang terms may seem harmless at the time. The terms may even seem easier for a young child to say. But learning and using slang continue as a child grows. Soon the child becomes an adult who is using a whole vocabulary of slang expressions that she or he passes on to another generation.

It is important for parents to know that children can easily learn the proper names at an early age. When they grow up, they will hand down to their children the correct names of the sex and reproductive organs. Using proper language can help people better understand their sexuality.

If everyone used the proper names for body parts, there would be fewer problems communicating with each other. No matter what family or community, age, sex, or culture, each person would be using the same terms. More important, when we use the proper names, we are showing respect for our bodies, others’ bodies, and both genders—male and female. Of course, when we use the correct names, we should use them correctly. Many well-educated people, for example, use the word “vagina” when they really mean “vulva.”

Positive Talk and Proud Bodies

The many reasons we have slang tell us something about ourselves. It shows that many of us are not comfortable talking about our bodies—especially our sex and reproductive parts. Slang shows that we may not even know much about our bodies. We create slang to hide our embarrassment. But embarrassment keeps us ignorant. Ignorance keeps us from becoming comfortable with our bodies.

A body is an incredible, fascinating structure. It is normal to want to learn about it. It is normal to ask questions about it. It is normal to be proud of it. Parents, relatives, and friends can help promote greater self-esteem among young children and teens by using the proper names of the sex and reproductive organs.

Talking to children positively about their bodies, puberty, and sexuality helps them develop a positive sexuality. Positive talk replaces embarrassment with pride. It replaces ignorance with knowledge and gives us comfort instead of discomfort. Positive talk also helps children learn to respect the sexuality of others.