Welcome to my blog’s glossary! The last thing I want is anyone feeling excluded because they’re not sure what a funky word means so here you will find all niche blog words, whether that be a special Yorkshire word, a feminist term, or a chronic health term. All of these funky words should be underlined in blog posts and will link you right here to my glossary where you will find a brief explanation.

Ableism – discrimination favouring people who are able-bodied

Blue light – the light emitted from our screens

Capitalism – a system by which our country’s industries and trade is controlled by private, profit-making organisations, i.e. the saying, money makes the world go round

Chronic illness – a long-term or life-long condition

Cisgender – people whose gender is aligned to the sex they were given at birth

Disabled – someone may identify as disabled if they have a physical &/or mental impairment that impacts their ability to complete day-to-day tasks in the long-term

Discrimination – the unfair treatment of different categories of people or an individual based on their identities

Gender – a personal identity, influenced by social and cultural differences

Heterosexual – a person who is attracted to a person of the opposite sex &/or gender

Intersectional feminism – a move away from traditional white feminism, towards a feminism that recognises how different social and political identities can interact with gender to create social advantage/disadvantage

IRL – in real life

Marginalised communities – people who identify as a woman or girl, people from ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQIA+

Mindfulness – a technique noticing the present, grounding yourself in the moment

M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)) – a neurological, fluctuating condition affecting several bodily systems

Oppression – unjust treatment or being overpowered

Pacing techniques – self-management technique, taking a steady approach to activity, so to ‘pace’ yourself. Pacing involves actively changing the way I live my life to do it in a more energy-friendly way. This involves everything, including how I lay down to how I brush my teeth.

Patriarchy – a social system by which our country’s society is dominated by cisgender men

Sex – not gender, male, female or intersex, determined by reproductive organs

Sexism – discrimination on the basis of sex &/or gender

Sexuality – how a person expresses themselves sexually and their sexual and romantic preferences

Spenny – expensive

Spoonies – people who suffer from chronic illnesses, find out more about spoon theory here

The male gaze – a look that sexualises women and empowers men, heterosexual men being dominant and assertive, heterosexual women being passive and sexualised

Am I missing a word or is my explanation not doing it for you? Let me know in the comments section.