We’ve had enough.
We’re calling out the outdated terminology women experience throughout fertility and motherhood.
It’s time for the Renaming Revolution.
In case you missed it, last week Chrissy Teigen (yes, the Chrissy Teigen) stepped in to offer her support after she spotted someone on Peanut sharing their experience of being called a geriatric mother by their doctor.
Chrissy shared the post on Twitter (with permission) and sparked a viral conversation about hurtful and archaic medical terms like geriatric mother, incompetent cervix, and spontaneous abortion.
We didn’t expect such a huge response.
So we reached out to our Peanut Community to ask you how you felt about the language used throughout all stages of motherhood.
Hundreds of you came forward.
In fact, you created the most engaged conversation on Peanut, ever.
Period.
As you told us how these terms made you feel shamed, judged, and ultimately, unsupported, we knew we had to do something.
So today, we’re launching the Renaming Revolution.
What is the Renaming Revolution?
The Renaming Revolution is a movement to reform the subtly sexist vocabulary women experience throughout fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood.
Because, honestly, we’ve had enough.
We’re teaming up with Chrissy, Amanda Montell (author and language scholar), Dr. Jessica Zucker (psychologist and author), Dr. Viviana Coles (President of the National Sex Therapy Institute), and Dr. Somi Javaid (OB-GYN).
Together, we’ll create a new glossary of terms that empower women and reflects modern motherhood and fertility.
What are some new phrases instead of outdated terms?
As you probably already know, the medical world is full of outdated terms to describe motherhood and fertility.
We’re talking about words rooted in misogyny and assumption that can be hurtful to hear, especially from a medical professional.
So here’s a sneak peek of a few of the new versions of outdated terms, from our Renaming Revolution:
What’s another name for “geriatric pregnancy”?
Of course, we’re calling out the term “geriatric pregnancy” ‒ it’s ageist and carries a weight of fault on the person hearing it.
So our new term is: 35+ pregnancy.
It simply describes what a “geriatric pregnancy” is medically defined as, without the stigma.
What’s another word for “birth defect”?
A “birth defect” is considered any physical or biochemical difference that’s present at a baby’s birth.
So our linguists have introduced a new term: birth difference.
Because using an outdated term like “birth defect” implies that there’s something “wrong”, which isn’t always the case.
Want more? Check out our full #RenamingRevolution Glossary or tap the button below to download Peanut and have your say.