A Wandering Uterus

The Curious Etymology of a Problematic Word

I want you to picture a person crying on a street corner. They are completely hysterical, tears streaming down their face and hair disheveled. They are sobbing loudly, with their hands to their face in anguish, shaking their head and desperately trying to pull themself together. I’d now like to ask you a question: what gender is the woman you’re picturing?

Maybe some of you imagined a person other than a woman, but I’d be willing to wager that the majority of you did picture a woman crying on the…