I have always been turned off by men who use the word "females" to describe women. I mean, I had never heard those men use the word "males" to describe themselves. In fact, time and time again I would hear men use the words "females" and "men" in the same sentence or thought. And if that wasn't suspect enough, I began hearing men use the word "female" to describe a black woman and then "woman" to describe a white woman, again in the same thought. So what is really being said, here?

1. "Woman" and "female" do indeed have two different meanings.

First of all, it is dehumanizing and completely neglects the fact that the poor person being referred to is, in fact, a person when you refer to them as plainly "female."

The term "woman" refers specifically to human beings, while the term "female" is a scientific term used to describe the sex of species capable of giving birth. Ergo, you'd refer to your dog as "female," and your wife as a "woman." There is no need to refer to a woman by her reproductive abilities because women are not just sexual objects here for your consumption.

2. It's grammatically incorrect.

The word "female" is an adjective, and if we can think all the way back to the 5th grade, we remember that adjectives can only be used with a noun, not in place of one. And in case we have forgotten, a noun is a person, place, thing or idea, while adjectives are for describing those nouns.

Using an adjective without a noun would be like someone saying, "The obedient behaved the whole semester," instead of "The obedient class  behaved the whole semester"

So for our delight, every language in the world has come up with a NOUN to refer to humans with vaginas... women,  mujer, donne, femmes... do we get the point?

Now, you can say, "female President," or "female mathematician," because in those cases, "President" and "mathematician" are the nouns connected to the adjective.

3. It has a colloquial meaning, and you know it.

We all know "female" is a synonym for "bitch." Stop the games. Ya know, kinda like when white people say "thug" in place of "nigger." We know what you mean. And in listening to people who frequently use the term "female," as opposed to "woman," you'll notice they generally do so in an aggressive way. The term is usually used to imply contempt or inferiority, especially when the emphasis is put on the first syllable "FEmales!"

And if you've ever been called a misogynist for using the term, well there's a reason for that. More often than not the term is used by those with backward and toxic views of women.

4. You know all of this.

You're not that dumb. This has been explained to you time and time again in one form or another. You just chose to ignore it because you either hate women and think of us as just "females" or your too proud and don't like to admit when you're wrong.

And I know what you are saying, "why are you females so offended about everything?" "It's not even that deep," "Uh! Not everything is sexist," "It's not negative." But it actually is offensive. It's rooted in patriarchy and the mere fact that the majority of women would prefer you refer to them as women should be enough.

And the pushback from people who are guilty of incorrectly and inappropriately using the term "female," is enough to give pause. When I've asked to be referred to as a woman, I've been met with resistance, anger, and confusion.

Disrespectful.