What age does a woman qualify for ma'am? (house, introduction, person)

[reneeh63]

There's no need to speculate...no need to use a particular title. Haven't you learned that you will RARELY be correct - kinda like mistaking an overweight woman as being pregnant..just don't bring it up!

Technically anyway, miss and ma'am refer to marital status and not age...again, not relevant in this day and age...just say your piece and skip the title.

[j_k_k]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

What is so "unpleasant" about that? And what would the alternative be, when you're introduced to a woman?

I don't like it. I'm not comfortable with it. When introduced to a woman, I hope to hell she doesn't put her hand out, because I then have to shake it. But truth told, I wish she had not. I'm perfectly comfortable meeting a woman without touching her, and I wish she would not want to touch me.

[Pincho-toot]

Down south; any age.

Its not about being old, its just politeness. Shame they don't encourage politeness in other regions like we do down here.

[Scarlettivy01]

I remember getting called ma'am at 18.

[Jean-Francois]

Originally Posted by MsMetal

What is so "unpleasant" about that? And what would the alternative be, when you're introduced to a woman?

I don't find it 'unpleasant', perhaps a tad, 'not quite right', but I can't explain why.
With me, maybe it's my Gallic connections, but if I'm introduced to a female friend of a family member, or to a female friend of a close female friend of mine or my wife's, I will lightly kiss them on each cheek.
It's becoming much more common over here over during the past few years.

Originally Posted by Catgirl64

I suspect people who do that think they are being cute or funny. They're not. It comes across as very patronizing and disrespectful.

My barber calls me 'young man', he's maybe 30 years my junior, and he's definitely not being patronising or disrespectful, it's just his way, doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Originally Posted by CSD610

The term has nothing at all to do with age and those of us who were taught at a very young age what respect is and how to address someone with respect knows the difference.
Being referred to as *my old lady* by one's husband is disrespectful in my opinion.

I've heard that in American movies or TV, also read it in American books.
Over here, if a guy talks about his "old lady", he's referring to his mother, and he means absolutely no disrespect, it's just a colloquialism, particularly in London.
British guys refer to their wives as "my old woman", e.g. my old woman went nuts when I came home drunk on Friday night.
Once again, it's just a colloquialism, a term of endearment if you will, the wife doesn't have to be old, you'll hear a 28 y.o. guy say it about his 23 y.o. wife.

Originally Posted by P47P47

I've heard of the Southern U.S. being described as "...a place where 80-year-old men call 16-year-old waitresses "ma'am", and nobody thinks twice about it."

Well, I'm not that old yet, and I'm often in VA, NC, SC, GA, and AL, but I don't call 16 y.o. waitresses ma'am, I use the name on their button if I can see it, usually after saying, "Excuse me Donna, can I call you Donna?", or I may just say, "Miss, can I get the check please?"

Originally Posted by Steve McDonald

I can tell you how I feel about being addressed as "sir". I consider it as an insult. Using it is the same as saying that someone is old enough that they are no longer considered to be in play and are of no interest to the person using the term.

I don't see it that way Steve, rarely does anyone call me sir in the U.K., and I don't care about that, but I've been to the U.S. so many times now, that it just sounds natural when I'm addressed as sir over there.

Originally Posted by jonesg

AT 29 its BABE.
After 30 and 7 months its madame.

I think that I've finally learned my lesson with 'babe', I've used it quite often in the past, to checkout girls in supermarkets, to barmaids, even to strangers on the phone.
My wife would go bananas, "You sound like an ignorant old geezer, trying to charm young women, they probably see you as pathetic."
Eventually I managed to stop myself, but it wasn't easy.

[Clemencia53]

Originally Posted by Inquest

I've heard that some women see "ma'am" as a form of address that makes them sound old. To them, I ask two questions-1)What age would you be fine with/expect to be called "ma'am" (and how old would a woman look before you would use "ma'am" on her), and 2)How would you prefer to be addressed if not "ma'am," (and what degree of respect would you show to a woman too young for "ma'am")?

21 year old 2Lt in the military?

[JONOV]

In the south? When she's old enough to see over the counter.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by JONOV

In the south? When she's old enough to see over the counter.

hahahaha. Rep for you.

[Lacerta]

Originally Posted by Nicci6Squirrels

I laughed when I read that your husband has been called ma'am. I have a friend who is a woman but who gets called "sir" or "mister" ALL the time. She just laughs about it at this point.

To be fair, it is me who calls him ma'am. He's 6'4" and could NEVER be mistaken for a woman.

[bmwguydc]

My niece was "ma'amed" as she and her friends call it, at age eleven. She's tall for her age, and dresses with a degree of sophistication that is not the same as many tweens, partially because she shops with my mother, but she thinks that it is absolutely hilarious when she is called "ma'am." I told her that it's great that she commands such respect and attention at her age, since it's always said in a polite manner.