The word "Ladies"

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  • Cp731
    Cp731 Posts: 3,195 Member
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    [img]http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w508/SUSANBRETT/Backstage Passes/BarenakedLadies3.jpg[/img]

    Um, a song once said "I may not be a lady, but Im surely all woman
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
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    I'd prefer to hear "ladies" which is formal and proper as opposed to "you guys" which, to me, is tacky.

    I am not a guy.
    I did not sprout a weenie.
  • _crafty_
    _crafty_ Posts: 1,682 Member
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    Sausage wallets.

    Is it made of gold? Can I spend it? Cause then it's cool.

    Might as well be, I've never had an inexpensive one.

    Orly? :huh:
  • TheRightWeigh
    TheRightWeigh Posts: 249 Member
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    This is a tad ridiculous (imho, of course)...how is "ladies" in itself offensive or condescending? Obviously, tone can change any words connotation. But, how is this term disrespectful? So if i'm trying to be polite...addressing or describing a group of women...what term should I employ?

    I get confused with gender roles...I believe that womanhood and manhood...as well as ethnicity and cultural variance shouldn't be ignored, but respected if not celebrated. But, that's a whole other subject...
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
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    Doesn't bother me. I use it quite a bit myself.
  • mandipandi75
    mandipandi75 Posts: 6,035 Member
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    I don't care what you call me. Just call me... maybe?
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,443 Member
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    Sausage wallets.

    Is it made of gold? Can I spend it? Cause then it's cool.

    Might as well be, I've never had an inexpensive one.

    Orly? :huh:

    Yes. It costs a lot of money to look this good for you. :indifferent:
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    I think in that instance, tone is what really matters most.

    ^^^ Tone and context can change any word.
  • Scarlett_Belle
    Scarlett_Belle Posts: 145 Member
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    It can be really obnoxious when someone is trying to motivate me for something but as a general reference I don't mind.
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
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    If I want to address a group of female human beings and calling each by name is too long, which term is better?

    - Ladies
    - Madams
    - Women
    - Guys
    - Girls
    - You all
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
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    Ladies, ladies, please. Settle down... :laugh:


    For the record, I don't think it's condescending, the word just irritates me; I don't know why.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    It's a term that annoys me, but I'm not offended by it.
  • _Pseudonymous_
    _Pseudonymous_ Posts: 1,671 Member
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    I actually like the word ladies "Ladies & Gentlemen". I find it much more appropriate than the variety of words I hear regularly at my job. "Mama", "Princess", "Beautiful", "Babe", "Sweetheart", or "Sugar". These are not phrases that I feel strange men should feel comfortable call me. To be quite honest with you... no one should ever call me Princess. Whether they know me or not. Unless I have a friggin' royal tiara on my head I'm pretty sure there is NO need to call me princess... ugh... makes me sick.
  • TK266
    TK266 Posts: 3,689 Member
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBcxwrNTpGg

    at 1:40. say it all.
  • michellelemorgan
    michellelemorgan Posts: 184 Member
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    I like being called a lady and a woman. I HATE being referred to as girl. I am not a girl. I'm a 32 year old woman.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    I've had men on a couple of occasions refer to us as "girls"!

    Now that is infuriating
  • Goddessmaker1
    Goddessmaker1 Posts: 114 Member
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    Ladies isfine but girl it has way too many loading racial and gender under tones for me.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I think in that instance, tone is what really matters most.

    ^^^ Tone and context can change any word.

    Yep if it is in a professional setting then `ladies` is perfectly acceptable.

    ie you have a group of women convening for a meeting and the person addressing them would say, for instance, "good afternoon ladies, thank you for attending this meeting" it is a collective term in a professional context.

    If there are 2 women who have just been pulled over for DUI and the police say "come on ladies get out of the vehicle" then they may be using the term in a sarcastic or condescending way, whilst trying to still keep polite?
  • TheWinman
    TheWinman Posts: 700 Member
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    "ladies" doesn't bother me so much....but i hate being called "ma'am"!!!

    See ma'am doesn't bother me either... but that has a lot to do with how I grew up.

    I think it's the same here. I was told it was a polite sign of respect, and therefore have never taken offense...
    To me, Ma'am is like Sir is for guys. Yes, it's very respectful but only used when you get older. I still llike to be called Sir and I'm 47. lol
  • norcal_yogi
    norcal_yogi Posts: 675 Member
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    Definitely condesending. We are women, not ladies. Ladies stay home and crochet doilies. Of course, in the Order of The British Empire, quite acceptable. But Maggie Thacher was a woman long before she became a Lady...

    lol!

    i don't like Ma'am!

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