385 Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 Ok, I've always wondered this, but what do you call females when you are talking to a female? Especially, if the females you are referring to are in the age group 18-30. Now, the answer may sound easy, but I've had complaints with every term possible. Girl - Sounds like you are referring to someone that is younger than 16. Girl can also be a demeaning/belittling term. Woman - Makes the person you are referring to sound old and mature (30+ years of age). Also has negative connotations like, "woman, make me a sandwich!" Female - Makes it sound too scientific. And who uses female in regular every day speak anyways? Chick - Objectifies women and makes them sound like trash. It's also an immature term. Lady - Lady is the best term out there, but lady comes with the connotation of being 'classy.' Sometimes I just want to talk about women in general, and a not a particular upper class group. Saying lady when referring to women in general is similar to someone saying 'gentlemen' instead of 'guys'. And i don't hear females say, "so today, I saw these smoking hot gentlemen at the beach..." And of course the obvious nos like, 'bitch', 'ho' etc... So 'ladies' I guess, how should guys refer to you? When you guys talk about guys, well, you can just use the term 'guys.' But what's the opposite of 'guys'?
Vet Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 So 'ladies' I guess, how should guys refer to you? When you guys talk about guys, well, you can just use the term 'guys.' But what's the opposite of 'guys'? Gals. Or if you're theatrical, dolls.
The Collector Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 Formal, Group - Ladies Formal, Individual - Miss/Ma'am Informal, Group - Girls Informal, Individual - Dollface
MSUE Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 dude lol how about dude? seriously I see nothing wrong with girl and I'm 30
WineCountry Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 Woman is fine. You can get away with girl too, simply because it is what is used so much, in my opinion.
WineCountry Posted August 28, 2009 Posted August 28, 2009 And of course the obvious nos like, 'bitch', 'ho' etc... Skank would be right up there not to use, too.
Bleeve Posted August 29, 2009 Posted August 29, 2009 I always call them girls, no matter the age As in there is this girl I am talking to at work. She is 28
carhill Posted August 29, 2009 Posted August 29, 2009 yo, dog I always refer to females as 'ladies', no matter their age, with 'young' as a preface if they are or appear to be under 18. Just so you know, OP, a lady can be smokin' hot. When interacting, I invariably use the word 'ma'am', even for ladies half my age. It's just a polite response which was socialized into me. No offense Most of my female friends refer to other women as 'she' or by her proper name. If it's a group, 'women'.
LucreziaBorgia Posted August 29, 2009 Posted August 29, 2009 What I call them depends on how I feel about them, and the context in which I use the word. The only exception is 'lady'. When I use that, I'm usually referring to someone who is a sandy vag or someone who is elderly.
fishtaco Posted August 29, 2009 Posted August 29, 2009 I tend to use "chicks". That's just the word I use when I'm having an informal conversation and I'm in an informal mood. For me I don't inject any derogatory meaning into it, because there are plenty of other words I could use for that purpose. But if the chicks don't like it, well that's just too bad.
TaraMaiden Posted August 30, 2009 Posted August 30, 2009 No way am I a chick, nor am I a girl, especially if mentioned in the same phrase as, and with, 'men'... how often do you hear men referred to as 'boys' in a serious discussion...? Boys is used in a chummy, friendly jokey kind of way. It's never used in a formal discussion when matters of gender are discussed, yet the term 'girls' is..... THis is social conditioning keeping women in a lower status in the workplace, particularly. That's fine, i'm not going all feminist here, it happens to be true... Dude - really a kind of 'brotherhood' term..... Mate - English term, same meaning as - Buddy - generally used referring to a friend. Guy - nondescript and devoid of any connection, unless preceded by 'my'. Then it's adoration. Pal - occasionally used in sarcasm Brother - Bit of a frat thing... not every brother likes being called brother. Boy - Speaks for itself. Never grows beyond 9 years of age. condescending. Oh, and breast. Man - again, speaks for itself. Opposite to Mouse. Gentleman - what? you're kidding, right? () Chick - small, fluffy and unintelligent Sister - (also 'sistah') bit of a sorority term there..and if said by a man, denotes some kind of authority, because he must therefore be the brother, and they can be bullies, really.... Bee-atch - almost the same as - Ho - but not quite as derogatory girl - diminishes the female to a manageable level skirt - as in 'I'd like to lift it'.... Woman - nondescript and devoid of any connection, unless preceded by 'my'. Then it's ownership. Lass - see girl Booty - sex object. Lady - Rare. very rare. And almost always self-asserted. Cos we should know, boys....
SoulSearch_CO Posted August 30, 2009 Posted August 30, 2009 I've used chick, woman, and girl. Can't say there's psychology tied up in it or I measure the word before I say it. Usually it just comes right out - whichever one's on my mind. I don't care which one somebody uses to describe me. But do have a preference to not be called a b*tch or a c*nt. Derogatory terms of any type are not cool. But I don't consider "chick" to be derogatory.
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