Rude, offensive, or crude behavior, language, or characteristics that lack sophistication or good manners.
From Latin vulgaris meaning 'of the common people' (from vulgus, 'crowd'), which over time came to mean 'lacking refinement' or 'coarse.' The suffix -ity makes it a noun form. What was once just 'common' became 'common and crude.'
The word 'vulgar' originally just meant 'popular with regular people' rather than anything bad—it's wild how 'common person' turned into an insult! This shows how language often reflects what educated people thought of ordinary folks throughout history.
Women's speech, sexuality, and self-expression have been coded as 'vulgar' or 'coarse' as a control mechanism; women are punished more severely for linguistic choices identical to men's.
Apply standards of vulgarity neutrally across genders. Recognize that 'vulgarity' has been used to enforce feminine compliance.
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