I understand why people think we're gay. There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it - how can you be this close without it being sexual?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker explains that their culture lacks a term for close female bonds, leading people to label it as sexual.
- In plain terms
- She says cultural language forces people to label close women’s relationships as sexual.
- What can you take from it?
- Language shapes how societies interpret relationships.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can language evolve to reflect diverse bonds?
- What impact does labeling have on personal identity?
Another view
It assumes all close female bonds are misunderstood, ignoring varied experiences.
More from Oprah Winfrey
It felt like a new day.
Permalink to quote #1 What I learned at a very early age was that I was responsible for my life. And as I became more spiritually conscious, I learned that we all are responsible fo…
Permalink to quote #3 What other people label or might try to call failure, I have learned is just God's way of pointing you in a new direction.
Permalink to quote #4
Related quotes
'There are some girls backstage that are like walking pap smears.'
Dave MustaineDave Mustaine quote #17 Pernicious weed! whose scent the fair annoys, Unfriendly to society's chief joys, Thy worst effect is banishing for hours The sex whose presence civilizes ours.
William CowperWilliam Cowper quote #41 The basic discovery about any people is the discovery of the relationship between its men and its women.
Pearl BuckPearl Buck quote #67