“I now pronounce you ‘wer’ and wife.”
A New York feminist who recently wed her longtime boyfriend is refusing to call him her “husband,” claiming the word is “sexist.”
Audra Fitzgerald, 26, is instead using the old English term “wer,” meaning “man,” to describe the legal connection to her new spouse, Andrew.
The digital analyst — who has a college degree in linguistics — made the declaration in a TikTok video filmed shortly after her wedding, which racked up 1.2 million views and a whole lot of controversy.
“I don’t like the word ‘husband’ because it is rooted in sexism, it means ‘master and controller of the house,’ ” Fitzgerald declared in an interview with South West News Service.
“I have received a crazy amount of backlash as people took it very seriously,” the TikToker admitted. “It was mainly men in the comments mansplaining how language works. They were homophobic and misogynistic and called my husband a ‘wife.’ “
Indeed, thousands of commenters were critical of feminist Fitzgerald, describing her as “ridiculous, “exhausting” and “incredibly sad.”
“People will always find something to be offended by,” one viewer griped.
“Is it really that deep?” another asked, while a third sarcastically swiped, “You must be fun at parties!”
But Fitzgerald says spouse Andrew is no henpecked “wer,” telling SWNS that he strongly supports her feminist views after eight years of dating.
Meanwhile, “husband” is just one of a number of problematic words that Fitzgerald refuses to use. The linguist also revealed she abstains from uttering the word “bitch,” as it has become a slur used against women. She also hates the word “p - - - y” when it’s used as an insult.
However, Fitzgerald added that there are also words and phrases that can be damaging for men — such as “grow a pair,” “man up” and “sissy” — and refuses to use those, too.
“I choose whether to use words or not based on whether they are doing damage to society,” she stated.
The activist added that she was surprised her video about the word “husband” went viral, but is glad that many viewers are now aware of the word’s patriarchal etymology.
Said Fitzgerald, “ ‘Husband’ isn’t actually doing more damage to society, but I want people to be aware of the patriarchal [roots].”
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