Couturieres

/kuːˌtʊriˈɛrz/ noun

Definition

Plural of 'couturière'; multiple female fashion designers, especially those creating haute couture garments.

Etymology

French plural of 'couturière,' formed by adding '-s' to the French feminine singular; entered English as plural form in fashion terminology.

Kelly Says

The presence of 'couturieres' in English shows how we've borrowed not just words, but entire gendered pairs from French, treating them as specialized fashion vocabulary.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Plural of couturière; perpetuates the gendered taxonomy that segregated fashion labor by sex and status, with women's work in garment-making rendered secondary to male 'designers.'

Inclusive Usage

Use 'fashion designers' or refer to individuals by name rather than gendered collective terms.

Inclusive Alternatives

["fashion designers","designers"]

Empowerment Note

Thousands of unnamed women executed haute couture designs; the gendered language erased their creative agency and labor.

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