One amazing college student changed the dictionary definition of ‘Nude'
Nikita Richardson
/ September 3, 2015 9:56 am
Whether it’s Band-Aids, pantyhose, or foundation, people of color are well-aware of how hard it can be to find something that matches our skin tone. This skin tone issue extends to definitions as well. For instance, let’s take a look at the
dictionary definition
of the word nude, which until recently really didn’t incorporate people of color. Indeed, the Merriam-Webster definition of the word read, “having the color of a white person’s skin.” (For real.)
One Ithaca College student set out to change that by “ringing up” one of the world’s most famous dictionary makers, Merriam-Webster, and suggesting that the company change the definition of the word to not only reflect the tremendous diversity of skin color among people, but the way words can affect how we interact with society.
This Student Convinced Merriam-Webster to Use an Inclusive Definition for ‘Nude’ http://t.co/vWzOXgGolJ pic.twitter.com/8gaTzVfuLX— Colorlines.com (@Colorlines) August 21, 2015
Luis Torres, a sophomore at the New York school, teamed up with
DoSomething.org
to launch a campaign on July 14, National Nude Day, called #NudeAwakening. Together, they got people all over the world to voice their opinion on the word’s definition.
