How to do things with words

A "performative utterance" is a word or phrase that actually accomplishes something in the real world. When a judge says, "Guilty," to a defendant, or a groom says, "I do," the words alter material reality. Words about the vagina create environments that directly affect women's bodies. The words women hear being used about their vaginas change, for better or for worse, what they purport to describe. Because of their effect on female autonomic nervous system (ANS), words about the vagina can either help or hurt actual vaginal response. New studies, as we saw, show that the autonomic nervous system in women is directly connected to optimal sexual arousal functionality in vaginal tissue, circulation, and lubrication itself — so verbal threats or verbal admiration or reassurances can directly affect the sexual functioning of the vagina.

Vagina, Naomi Wolf

How to do Things With Words