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You can call your friends, family, and close associates anything you want - that they are comfortable with. But if you are speaking in public, of the general public, it would be best to call a woman a woman and a girl a girl.
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 03-26-2017 at 09:11 AM..
I am curious about something. I understand that strictly speaking a female that is not an adult are referred to as a girl whereas an adult female is referred to as a woman. Yet there seems to be quite a bit of over lap. Even if they are adult females if a bunch of them go out it's called a "girls night out" for example, or if they are collectively into something they can be referred to as "the x girls" heck, even when they are much older you have shows such as "the golden girls" etc etc. Even other adult females view such differently.
What is your take?
Ahh yes. Well, context is key here. My lady and I refer to each other by "boy" or "girl" in certain ways. If I do something exceptionally pleasing she may say "attaboy" and in the reverse I might say "that's my girl". When used as terms of endearment it's all good. There's a million different ways to use these terms as such.
It's when they are used in an insulting context, meant to demean maturity level and such, that it's inappropriate to use them. In that context they can be seriously wounding and belittling. Anyway, that's pretty much the long and short of it.
Hearing men refer to women as 'females' usually makes me cringe. Especially in a certain context it is used to demean and just sounds unintelligent. I am fine being called woman, lady, miss, even girl before being called a female.
Hearing men refer to women as 'females' usually makes me cringe. Especially in a certain context it is used to demean and just sounds unintelligent. I am fine being called woman, lady, miss, even girl before being called a female.
Ditto. Using "female" as a noun and not an adjective to describe a woman is commonly and subtly used by certain types of men to dehumanize and reduce women to the status of gendered objects. It's never used to refer to a woman the man thinks highly of. If you pay attention to context you'll see what I mean.
Socially speaking: Context only really matters in the choice of word you decide to use and when you decide to use them
That said, if you are clearly not trying to demean or undermine anyone by using the term you have decided to, nobody has any reason other than their own personal ones to get upset over it.
language is a creation meant to get intentions across at its heart. If someone wants to interpret what you have to say in their own way and not take the actual intention behind those words in to account...that's their own issue to struggle in life with.
Socially speaking: Context only really matters in the choice of word you decide to use and when you decide to use them
That said, if you are clearly not trying to demean or undermine anyone by using the term you have decided to, nobody has any reason other than their own personal ones to get upset over it.
language is a creation meant to get intentions across at its heart. If someone wants to interpret what you have to say in their own way and not take the actual intention behind those words in to account...that's their own issue to struggle in life with.
Interesting. But intention isn't always clear, and sometimes it is deliberately disguised. In those cases, would it be ok for a woman who has just been called a "girl" to correct that person that she prefers to be addressed as a "woman"? Or is that the same as "getting upset"?
Interesting. But intention isn't always clear, and sometimes it is deliberately disguised. In those cases, would it be ok for a woman who has just been called a "girl" to correct that person that she prefers to be addressed as a "woman"? Or is that the same as "getting upset"?
In my experiences, the term girl or boy, as applied to an adult, is usually used between people who know each other well in a way that is intended to denote endearment. A friendly, even flirty, type of thing. Friends, lovers even coworkers can use these terms to engage in friendly banter, and being able to do so without offense is a way to show that relationship as being a totally friendly one.
As used to denote contempt or derision, the meaning is usually quite unveiled. When used to such an end it's not hard to see the intent behind it. I cannot ever recall being unclear as to the intent of such terms being said to me. I've never seen ,personally, any grey area there.
I am curious about something. I understand that strictly speaking a female that is not an adult are referred to as a girl whereas an adult female is referred to as a woman. Yet there seems to be quite a bit of over lap. Even if they are adult females if a bunch of them go out it's called a "girls night out" for example, or if they are collectively into something they can be referred to as "the x girls" heck, even when they are much older you have shows such as "the golden girls" etc etc. Even other adult females view such differently.
What is your take?
I say it this way. Male and Female:
Woman is a term that is earned. Just like Man is a term that is earned. One does not earn it just by living to be a certain age.
Man and Woman is more of a term of character.
So if you want to be called a man, or woman, then you have to act as such.
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