English Language & Usage Asked on May 2, 2021
I came across the term “sex film actress” in the Op-Ed column The Disposable Woman. I could guess what the phrase meant, as “sex worker” is a new term for “prostitute”, and therefore “sex film actress” would be the equivalent for “porn star”.
I checked if this term had been used before, and there were a smattering of uses, but it looked so infrequent it seemed as if the term was coined each time. Is there a name for such a phenomenon?
I don't think there's currently a word for it, but you could probably get away with calling it a re-neologism. (Although in the case of "sex film actress", the re-phrasing is so pointless even by PC standards that I'd have to label it a "useless euphemism".)
Correct answer by Hellion on May 2, 2021
"sex film actress" is more precise than "porn star" as there are many kinds of porn media (and many kinds of porn) and "sex film" narrows it down a lot. Also, "actress" narrows it down to "female" but that's probably redundant based on the context. So using the phrase "sex film actress" might not be a euphemism nor an attempt at being PC, but rather an attempt at being explicit.
Given that this is not a word but rather a phrase with a pretty obvious meaning, it doesn't strike me as being remarkable. If I described Lon Chaney as a "silent film actor" you should know immediately what that means even if "silent film actor" isn't a set phrase.
Answered by Mr. Shiny and New 安宇 on May 2, 2021
The term compulsive euphemization fits in the context of political correctness.
Answered by Dr. Funk on May 2, 2021
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