Being called "Lady"

sassyblue

Lady sounds so much nicer and politer than 'woman'. I refer to custmers as a lady or gentleman, to call them a man or woman sounds rude.

I don't give a stuff to feminism, it's about what's polite.

pigpen

I'd just be glad they didn't think I was a man or precede the Lady with Old..

There are hell of a lot of worse thing to be called.. split a$$ for example.. that is just degrading and gross!!! 'woman' sounds like you belong in a cave... it is all about context.

Being called or referred to as 'lady' would imply I was not behaving like a troll.. that is a good thing. I would find it very very odd and a little rude if I am honest to be referred to as 'that woman' ... to me that would imply I was not behaving in a socially acceptable manner.. not that I care what others think but I absolutely would not respond to someone who wanted my attention and called me woman.

Gloomendoom

guruchelles wrote: »

Seems a bit personal. Not bonkers, but am a first class graduate of sociology with focus on women's studies and feminism.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. If I had known your background, I wouldn't have asked.

peachyprice

guruchelles wrote: »

Seems a bit personal. Not bonkers, but am a first class graduate of sociology with focus on women's studies and feminism.

So you have an agenda.

tyllwyd

I'm a mum and when the kids were younger I would often use 'lady' as a general term - it seems politer than saying 'woman' and small children make no difference between someone who is 16 and someone who is 65. I might even say 'nice lady' (as in 'come here and let the nice lady get past') - it's a bit twee, but it gets the message across to a pre-schooler without any fuss and hopefully without causing offence. Equally, if it was a man I'd say 'gentleman'.

If you are in a bit of a rush, trying to keep the kids under control and not wandering off or under other people's feet, the last thing you want to do is to worrry about finding exactly the right word to describe someone you've only glanced at!

C_Mababejive

guruchelles wrote: »

Hate hate hate 'lady'.

I have three sons and I teach them all to say 'woman'. For me, it's not really an age thing, but a cultural thing, and it's a feminist issue. 'Lady' comes loaded with cultural expectations of how women should behave (ie. "be more ladylike"). It would be like referring to all men as 'gentleman'.

For a while I worked in an all-girl grammar school where the convention was to address a group as 'ladies'. Stuck in my throat every time I had to do it.

I see what you mean though i use the term lady becuase to use "girl" for an adult woman is disrespectful and to use woman sounds too clinical. Lady doesnt conjure up behavioural expectations for me. I use it in a mutually respectful way.

guruchelles

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. If I had known your background, I wouldn't have asked.

peachyprice wrote:

So you have an agenda.

Wow! A little bit overly harsh. No, I have an opinion. A well-researched opinion, granted, but I was just trying to add to the debate in a polite and sensible way. I enjoy debating things and this is something that I happen to have read about as part of my education.

Gloomendoom - apologies if your comment was sincere, but I read it as sarcastic.

tyllwyd

guruchelles wrote: »

We don't have equality in 2013. The normalization of culturally loaded terms like 'lady' contributes to that fact.

Although I can see that 'lady' might bring certain expectations, if you start addressing people as 'woman', it makes me think of Andy Capp, or that sketch 'woman, know your place'. And if you use 'lady' and 'gentleman' equally, doesn't that cancel out a gender bias?

And also (maybe it is something to do with being brought up in a small town in Wales in the 1970s in my case), but I am terrified of offending females of the older generation - I can think of quite a few people (my grandmother among them) who would very much expect to be referred to as a 'lady' rather than as a 'woman'.

Counting_Pennies_2

I have not had a chance to read the other replies, but to me if you don't know the persons name, it is the polite way of referring to someone.

Girl for someone who looks school age, and lady for someone who looks as if they are old enough to hold down a job.

I would not take offence in the slightest, more happy that someone was being polite

.Johanna.

sassyblue wrote: »

Lady sounds so much nicer and politer than 'woman'. I refer to custmers as a lady or gentleman, to call them a man or woman sounds rude.

I don't give a stuff to feminism, it's about what's polite.

I agree that's why expect to be called 'lady' and call other people ladies or gentlemen in work settings.