What age does a woman qualify for ma'am? (husband, attractive, mother)

[49ersfan27]

I call every woman ma'am. My sister who's a toddler didn't like it however.

[Threestep2]

I am good as long as you call me m'am; madam might get expensive.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by Inquest

By "degree of respect," I mean whether you'd call them "Miss." For some people, it's about not making the younger people seem old, while others may not feel as obligated to be respectful toward people younger than they are.

I just want to mention that my local Whole Foods, I am often addressed as miss and I am well north of age 65. I suspect that people who deal with retail customers don't know exactly what the right way to address us is. I am not sure when ma'am becomes, OK. Maybe after about age 20? But what about the customer aged 18 or so? Miss?

Technically, I should be addressed as madam but never am. I suspect an awful lot of people view madam as the title for a proprietor of a house of ill repute. But madam as a title is really meant to convey married woman.

I really don't have a lot of patience with people becoming unhappy about being addressed as ma'am or any other respectful title. There are many more, far worse, things to become unhappy about, frankly.

[brownbagg]

ma'am, when you dont want to get personal with them. yes sir, yes ma'am, polite way of saying, "go away"

Honey, darling, dear. whole opposite

[MinivanDriver]

For the zillionth time.

1) If you're younger than 18, anyone a few years older than you.
2) Adult women whom you don't know.

If you are a person who objects to being called ma'am, you really need to find new sources for your outrage and mental energy. It is only meant as respectful and has zero implications regarding your age, your attractiveness, or your social station. People who really obsess over this oughta get a life.

[puginabug]

I never minded being called Ma'am. It's a respectful term. Beats being called bi*ch!

I did take issue with a waitress a couple years ago who insisted on calling me "Young Lady" throughout the meal. I was 60 at the time, she certainly wasn't truly mistakenly thinking I was actually a young person. I was with my 25 year old daughter.

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by puginabug

I never minded being called Ma'am. It's a respectful term. Beats being called bi*ch!

I did take issue with a waitress a couple years ago who insisted on calling me "Young Lady" throughout the meal. I was 60 at the time, she certainly wasn't truly mistakenly thinking I was actually a young person. I was with my 25 year old daughter.

Eew, being called Young Lady when you're 60 is sarcastic or at least insincere. I don't like being called ma'am or honey or dear but what else do we have? Our language doesn't have respectful words. I was mam'ed at about age 30 by a store cashier of about age 18. I instantly felt old.

When I mentioned it to a male friend he said he had been taken aback by being called sir. I think this language ought to invent a better word. Ma'am and sir sound archaic.

[SWFL_Native]

A mother or at 30 which ever occurs first.

[stepka]

I have never minded being called ma'am, but I do get irritated (and keep my mouth shut about that) when some young whippersnapper calls me miss, like they think I'm going to be flattered. It just feels condescending and that is annoying.

[7gkids]

Don't mind being called Ma'am at all but I really do not like Sweetie, Honey, or Hon. Not sure why, lol, just hits me wrong for some reason. Not a big deal, though.