Note: The authors' viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.

“No human likes their important expressions or practices being abused or mocked—but most do like to be affirmed. Hathaway got it right. Here’s to more of that, inshallah.”

“While it may feel empowering to laugh at yourself, it doesn’t erase the stereotype. Instead, it makes the message more convincing because the humor comes with a sense of validation.”

“Each of us plays a role in shifting the culture. That starts with pausing before repeating a trending phrase, questioning why a joke relies on putting someone else down, and being willing to speak up—even when it feels uncomfortable.”

“Creating space [for your patients]…requires signaling openness. It requires using inclusive language that does not assume heterosexuality, monogamy, or specific anatomy. It requires acknowledging that sexuality is relevant across the lifespan, including for older adults and people with chronic illness.”

“When euphemisms replace clear language, even the simplest healthcare becomes a negotiation with culture, stigma, and silence.”

“We’re told the so-called granny bob is chic, timeless, flattering—a short cut that works across hair types and taps neatly into the current nostalgia wave. Fine. So why not call it exactly that? Why attach ‘granny’ to it at all?”

“We don’t have language for what it means to specifically kill your wife…We don’t have language for the killing of pregnant women…Can we be more specific with our language and start talking about femicide?”—Karen Attiah, award-winning journalist

“This concerning pattern, where the most prolific news outlet is also the most biased, may help explain some of the negative shift in public opinion in recent years, as well as the backsliding in civil rights for trans people in America.”

“Describing someone as ‘a person experiencing homelessness’ can make people more empathetic and caring while referring to them as a ‘homeless person’ is more likely to trigger perceptions of personal responsibility and blame, according to new research.”

“While Nike may have thought this ad would serve as some added motivation for runners grinding through 26.2 miles of pavement, it had the opposite effect on many who felt the phrasing was exclusionary and ‘pace-shaming.’”

“[The word ‘partner’] bypasses assumptions about marriage while remaining inclusive of many relationship structures. Its rise has coincided with changing social norms around marriage, greater visibility of same sex relationships, and a cultural shift towards defining relationships by commitment rather than labels.”—Lorin Krenn, relationship coach

“What is intended to be a short-term label became an identifier, one I continuously forced myself to perform.”

“In other cases, a gendered term exists but is almost never used: ‘authoress,’ ‘aviatrix,’ ‘executrix,’ ‘huntress,’ ‘murderess,’ and ‘usherette’ can be employed to denote gender, but female members of these groups are typically just authors, aviators, executors, hunters, murderers, and ushers.”

“The Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network is dedicated to a radical transparency of methods and data in order to make reporting on and with AI more accessible.”

“Despite having been around for nearly a decade, this invented Chinese pronoun has remained on the fringes for one reason…[it’s] a hassle to type and confusing to people who are unfamiliar with it. That, however, could soon change. In September [2025], the pronoun was added to Unicode—a global standard of symbols and characters used by web developers and tech giants worldwide.”

• Physicians Are Not Providers: The Ethical Significance of Names in Health Care: A Policy Paper From the American College of Physicians
• What Romances by Disabled Authors Do Differently
• Most AI Assistants Are Feminine—and It’s Fuelling Dangerous Stereotypes and Abuse

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