Delicate items, especially clothes made of fine fabric that require gentle washing; fine or tender foods.
From 'delicate' used as a noun. In modern English, 'delicates' is most commonly used to refer to a category of laundry that needs special handling.
Almost every washing machine has a 'delicates' cycle—it's slower and gentler because delicate fabrics like silk and lace can tear if you wash them the same way as jeans!
Historically used to describe 'delicate items' (fine fabrics), which reinforces association of delicacy with femininity and with the domestic/private sphere. Gendered undertone: care for 'delicates' coded as women's responsibility.
Use 'delicate items' or 'fine garments' when referring to textiles. Avoid using 'delicates' as a standalone noun for women's undergarments; specify the item or garment type instead.
["fine garments","delicate items","silk undergarments","specialty textiles"]
Laundry and textile care, historically unpaid women's work, involved technical expertise in preserving materials; this labor was invisibilized by framing 'delicates' as merely requiring cautious handling rather than skilled judgment.
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