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Why is "Masseuse" Such a Loaded Word?


We refer to most medical professionals by their title or specialty: Doctor, Dentist, Radiologist, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist, etc.  Why are massage therapists so sensitive about being called "Masseurs"?  Doctors put up with short hand like "Doc", "M.D.", or "G.P."; specialists like Radiologists or Physical Therapists are also shortened to "Rad-Tech" or "PT", so what's wrong with "Masseur"?
Dictionary.com defines Masseuse as "a woman who provides massage as a profession or occupation".  Still, what's the problem!?  Digging back into the history of how words and titles are used it's clear why body workers today prefer their proper title of Massage Therapist...

During WWII many women were pulled/pushed into the work force in factories, the classroom, and in particular into healthcare as nurses.  As nurses these women applied massage to their patients for the pain management benefits of the techniques.  As the war ended and the men returned home, many women who served as nurses found that they were again expected to return to secondary roles in relation to men and were denied access to jobs in the peacetime economy despite distinguished service experience and very high qualifications.  Some experienced former nurses denied jobs in patriarchal society turned to prostitution in the face of being completely shut out of job opportunities.  The term "Masseuse" became a rather derogatory term associated with sex-work because of there being so many former nurses working as prostitutes.

Beginning in the 1950s, many states started to create licensing standards for massage practice.  This gave a path for many former nurses as well as other women, and men to be qualified as medical professionals qualified to perform massage and earn money for their services. Currently, all but four states (Wyoming, Minnesota, Kansas, Vermont) require licensure or accreditation to practice massage.  Most states require study of Anatomy, Kinesthesiology, Pathology, basic massage techniques, state laws regarding the scope of message practice, clinical practical hours, and passing a background test as well as a qualification exam.  The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) administer a standardized test that all states use with the exception of  Hawaii and New York.  There is also another nationally recognized test standard administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).  All the various states that do regulate massage therapy do so through their Boards of Health or State Medical Boards.

I hope that your therapist is one who explains the techniques and modalities they're using on you.  I hope that you have the kind of relationship with your therapist that is open and curious.  If you do, no doubt, they've likely explained to you this important difference between themselves as a licensed Massage Therapist and what is implied by being called a "Masseuse".  If they haven't, now you know.

Follow me on twitter @markcfreeman on Facebook, or Instagram.  Email me at mark@markcfreeman.com with any questions about bodywork techniques, modalities, or if there are any blog topics you want to know more about!

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Location: Miami Beach, FL, USA

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