Girls, at what age do you preferred to be called a woman?

[itsrobert]

Sorry, I said girls, just getting your attention.

But the right keeps on trying to call 24 year old women, girls? Even some here on DU will refer to 21 to 70 years old women as girls. Is it acceptable? How do you feel about it. I myself, would have issues if someone called me a boy at 21 years old. (Note, I am well passed that).

[HopeHoops]

1. "Oh I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay. I sleeps all night and I works all day..."

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Poser. n/t

[HopeHoops]

12. Okay - busted. I'm not a lumberjack and I probably don't qualify for "okay" either.

:blush:

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. Since you're not okay, you can be an honorary lumberjack.

:hi:

[HopeHoops]

32. Maybe I don't WANT to be.

(We need a :humph: smiley)

[lumberjack_jeff]

33. It's not all work.

On Wednesdays we go shopping and have buttered scones for tea.

[HopeHoops]

34. Can we read Cosmopolitan while we drink tea?

Well, just for the articles on "50 ways to make your man (fill in the naughty part)".

[lumberjack_jeff]

36. Chah! What else?

:toast:

[Taverner]

2. All I know is: Girl....You'll be a Woman....Soon...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiAUmsl6OHU&feature=related

[northoftheborder]

4. I'm not that sensitive. Silly sensibilities to object to either.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. I believe the AP standard is 20 and older.

:hi:

[RebelOne]

19. Yep. I'll go with that. n/t

[left coaster]

5. .Language use is a reflection of cultural attitudes..

And, I think that in this case, calling adult females "girls" is just one of the ways that our culture continues to infantilize women, thus diminishing their stature in our society.. Our culture isn't comfortable with sexual equity between the genders, and that's the truth.. so, yes, I do have a problem with calling adult females "girls".

[Book Lover]

7. I became a legal adult at age 18

That's a good time to start.

[Kceres]

20. +1

[MineralMan]

8. I use high school graduation as a criterion in my writing.

You're out of high school, you're a woman. Until then, you're a girl. Same with boys and men. That's the standard I apply when writing things.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. Everyone under 30 is a kid. n/t

[dana_b]

14. nope - under 40!!

It keeps changing as I age. :P

[Overseas]

10. How old were the prostitutes Vitter visited? How old was Ensign's best friend's wife

when he harassed her to have sex with him?

[dana_b]

11. depends on the situation

For instance: "girls night out", I am hanging out with my girlfriends, some of my friends start out their conversations with 'hey girl!". None of this bothers me.

however I remember working as a flight attendant (I was 21 y.o.) and this woman was trying to get my attention by saying "little girl! little girl! come here and help me with..." (can't remember what she needed help with) and this pissed me off because of the way that it was said. I remember wanting to retort "Yes, OLD BAG?? What do you want?" however I didn't want to stoop to her level AND I needed the job. ;)

[noamnety]

17. Agreed.

When one of my good friends greets me with "hey, girl!" I'm not offended at all.

When I hear someone talking about the "girl" working the register at the store giving the wrong change or something, I cringe. If she's old enough to be holding down a job and you aren't hanging with her and talking to her directly as a buddy, acknowledge that she's an adult when you refer to her.

teens = young women in the context of high school students, out in the world, just women is sufficient. 19 is old enough to be married and in the military, that counts as an adult.

[Mimosa]

13. Simple: girls OK for casual talk among friends

Woman and women should be used for all formal uses for females over the age of 18. I think teenagers from 14 to 18 ought to be called young women in formal usage.

[immoderate]

15. Good luck. It's relative.

My mother would talk about playing mah jongg "with the girls" into her eighties. My poker games with "the boys" started in college but were cited that way into our middle age.

My father's poker game was called a "men's game" because it started on Boy Scout camping trips, where the adult leaders would play after we were all asleep in our tent. That game went on for decades after I left the scouts. It was always referred to as a "committee meeting." :)

--imm

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jaysunb]

18. Context, is the key.

:shrug:

[Kceres]

21. When in doubt say "young woman". That won't offend anyone.

[Whisp]

22. I think part of the reason for the use of 'girl' instead of woman

is fear.

Women have those nasty periods, and are grown ups! oooga boooga!

Girls are just little adults, cute and bloodless and of no particular mature opinions, even when they are 70 they are little small beings under some man's charge.

[Blasphemer]

23. "Girl" seemed inappropriate once I hit my early 30s

Before that, either girl or woman (usually it was "young woman") was fine with me. What I hated was when I started hearing "ma'am" instead of "miss" and "lady" instead of "girl" or "young lady".

[valerief]

25. self delete

[valerief]

26. It's not the label that matters. If a demeaning attitude comes with it, that's the offense.

Otherwise, it's just another version of "guys".

[October]

27. Guys have "guys" -- no equivalent I guess for women

lol!

Never thought about that before.

[annabanana]

29. Gals?. . . sounds pretty hayseed though. . . n/t

[eShirl]

28. The age at which one may vote and enter into a legal contact.

[libodem]

30. Doesn't offend me

But I have a friend whom will confront offenders in a nanosecond. She likens it
to calling a black man....boy.

[pipi_k]

31. I never objected much, really...

to being called a "girl".

Still don't, even though I'm 58. In fact, the older I get, the more fun it is.


The one (printable) word I definitely do NOT like is "lady".

As in, "Hey, lady...you forgot your purse"....or, "What's the matter with you, lady..."

I hate it. Sounds so insulting.

Unless I'm a Royal "Lady".

Like...."Lady Pipi"

:7

[Tesha]

37. Whenever I hear "Lady", I think of Guard Sally Bishop in "Con Air"...

Baby O: Hey, lady!

Guard Sally Bishop: Lady's a dog in a Walt Disney
movie. My name is Bishop. Guard Bishop to you.

[southernyankeebelle]

35. After 26 or 27 yrs old. I would say 18 to 25 would be young lady or young woman.

[WinkyDink]

38. Women can call each other "girl" forever; men, "women" when we're legal adults. NEVER "guys"!!!

[Raine]

39. I don't care, it doesn't bother me infact I find it flattering just don't call me ma'am

EVER. x(