fair sex

or fairer sex

noun

, Older Use: Sometimes Offensive.

1. women as a group (usually used facetiously):

   an insult to the fair sex.

fair sex

noun

1. the fair sex
   women collectively

Sensitive Note

This is a dated term, usually used for humorous effect. It uses the word fair in the sense of “physically attractive”; because it refers to a woman in terms of her appearance, it is sometimes perceived as demeaning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fair sex¹

First recorded in 1680–90

Idioms and Phrases

Girls or women, as in Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays . This euphemism uses fair in the sense of “physically beautiful” and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

Particularly jarring is his chapter titled “A Question of Sex,” which is introduced like this: “Only recently has a quiet revolution granted the fair sex a fairer status.”

From Washington Post

She also tried to ignore the condescending remarks by TASS, the government news agency, about her being of the fair sex.

From Literature

The fine weather ensured that “many of the fair sex” were on hand for the game, as the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

From Washington Times

“I used to think my old friend here was immune to the charms of the fair sex,” said Hallgrimsson.

From Literature

Moreover he believed that if the fair sex insisted on eating oranges or mangoes, they should at least do so in the privacy of their own bathrooms.

From BBC