Pussy Galore^177
Teal Triggs, Liz McQuiston, and Sian CookDuring the late 1960 s, when the
feminist movement was in full
tilt, two women writers known
for their satiric essays in Bitch,a
New York–based underground
newspaper that they edited,
decided that the English
language was the principal tool
of male oppression against
women. Therefore, their
publication would not include
any word that had a gender-
specific prefix or suffix, such as
“man” or “son.” Instead, the
neutral word “one” was
substituted so that the word
“person” became “perone,” and
the word “woman” (which they
deemed was most subjugated of
all words) became “woperone.” They applied the new spelling to common
nongendered words as well, like “many” (peroney), “season” (seapone), and
“manifold” (peronefold), which forced readers to examine the so-called
masculine dominance in the English language. However, the editors
ultimately admitted that these linguistic alterations were unwieldy in their
own writing, and after an issue or two they reverted back to standard spellings.
The point, however, was clear. Woperones were afforded second-
class citizenship in ways that were matter-of-factly ingrained from birth in
the minds of both genders. And although certain habits, such as written
language, were not going to change overnight—or as easily as the popular
acceptance of the alternative Ms. instead of Miss or Mrs. (which, in fact,
did not happen overnight)—it was important to expose cultural and societal
absolutes that were prejudicial and detrimental toward women. Even if the
spelling experiment was just a satiric exercise that reached a small number
of readers of an arcane alternative newspaper, it was a good lesson in how
archetypes and stereotypes are retained through inertia. It was also an
indication that other confrontations were in the offing.