A lot of the time a personal essay is when a woman writes an essay that would be called an essay if a man wrote it.

Sometimes a personal essay is when a woman writes an essay that what would be called journalism if a man wrote it.

Sometimes a personal essay is when a women writes an essay that would be called a travel essay if a man wrote it.

Sometimes a personal essay is when a woman writes a piece of investigative journalism if she had been a man who wrote it.

Sometimes a personal essay is when a woman writes an essay that would be called science writing if a man wrote it.

Sometimes a personal essay is when a woman writes a piece of literary or cultural criticism had it been written by a man!

I think that almost covers it.

Personal is a sexist word. I didn't always realize that. Now it's my job to know.

As a follow up, I might say that it is a quality used against women, that when done well means writing with some serious internal work being done in respect to whatever else that's going on in the essay. And, you know, reflection. GOOD HARD WORK.

Words besides personal to be very careful about using in response to writing by women: quiet, domestic, small, tiny. Not always wrong or bad, but often big signal when bundled together that the work is a revelation but being reduced to almost nothing anyway.

I would be curious if we can find more than a handful of examples of essay collections by men that are labeled or described in any way as "personal essays."

I can, however think of a ton of essay collections by men that would be called "personal essays" if written by women.

The Personal Essays of Montaigne