What is the proper terminology for females who act? My sister acts, but I've never asked her this

[Mike 03]

question.

Should females who act be referred to as "actresses" or "actors"?

[HopeHoops]

1. Actpersons

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. These days they are mainly called actors.

[Mike 03]

5. That's what I figured, and usually how I refer to them.

But it's good to have some confirmation.

[no name no slogan]

3. Actrons

[Oeditpus Rex]

4. I call them 'actors'

Really, aren't we over the whole "-ess" and "-ette" thing, except in royalty?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

9. Long ago, in a faraway galaxy,

I was one of 50 females in our 150-member freshman law school class.

The year before, there had been 3 females in the crowd.

Can you say "God bless Affirmative Action"?

That was no protection, though, from the male faculty members (they were all male, natch), who enjoyed calling on us, when you had to stand up to answer the question - good training, but nervewracking as hell for a new law student.

"You, over there, lawyerette," they would say, pointing.

Lawyerette.

Can you imagine anyone getting away with that today? Or even thinking it?

Actors, yes, all are actors.

[HopeHoops]

6. "Flaming liberals" if you ask a neocon ;}

:hide:

[lunatica]

7. Actors of both sexes refer to themselves as actors now

But that may be the ones that do it for love of the craft, not for stardom. I'm thinking of Indi and Sundance actors

[Mike 03]

10. Okay, thanks. That confirms what I pretty much thought.

Appreciated.

[rug]

8. Thespian.

[Orrex]

13. I once saw two thespians going at it in the park

Totally hot.

[3.14158675309]

22. I saw two homo sapiens at a museum once

One was erectus.

[graywarrior]

11. My friend Jessica refers to herself as an actor

[Richardo]

12. Actrix

Really:

Aviator - Aviatrix
Dominator - Dominatrix
Actor - ??

[Gormy Cuss]

14. Drama queens.

:P

[Skittles]

15. actor

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

16. Thesbians?

:hide:

[DeepBlueC]

17. actors

I know that actors call themselves actors regardless of their gender. The word "actress" is something of an archaism although it is still used by some for whom it has always been standard vocabulary. It's like waiter, now the genderless standard.

[mitchum]

18. Chicks in show biz

I keed! I keed!

[NightWatcher]

19. waitress?

I kid, I kid

[blogslut]

23. heehee

One of my favorite t-shirts read:

artist/musician/writer/singer/actor/poet/waiter

[Gidney N Cloyd]

20. Years ago I remember Julie Kavner making some news saying...

she was an "actor," not an "actress."
This was way pre-simpsons, back in the Rhoda days.

[hobbit709]

21. Hams

[Robeson]

24. Jane Fonda says actor. Who am I to argue with Jane Fonda?