Do you mind male strangers calling you “love” or “darling”?

[Buzyizzy217]

Does it irritate you when complete male strangers call you by a term of endearment, like “love” or “darling”?
To answer the obvious question, yes, it does me and I tell them not to do it. Just curious.

Yes it does and I respond with honey, babe,, sweetie pie or something equally stupid.

That's a favourite phrase here isn't it, 'worked up'? It's not necessarily getting worked up to express a dislike of something.

That’s exactly what I do!

No. It can be a regional thing, and some women use those terms too.

Completely depends on the circumstances. A barman, barista, cabbie etc saying ‘Hello love’ or ‘there you go darling’ doesn’t bother me in the least. It’s meant to be friendly and warm.

Someone calling you ‘love’ in an obviously sarcastic or patronising way is completely different.

As long as l’m not addressed in a condescending way and someone doesn’t call me “shit face” l really don’t mind what they call me.

It doesn’t bother me.

So long as it's said in such a way that it would wouldn't make a difference if the speaker were male or female, then I actually really like these terms of endearment.

Where I’m from we get called “cocka” so it wouldn’t phase me. Dd was helping an older gentleman with his shoe lace recently and he says “thanks treacle” it really tickled her.

As mentioned above, I think it depends on the context. Most say it in an innocent way, and that certainly doesn't bother me.

I love Bab , reminds me of my grandad.

This is just lovely 🥰

Why do so many northerners think calling people ‘love’ is an exclusively northern thing? It really isn’t. I’m from London originally and now live in the north and I can promise you I spent the first 25 years of my life being called ‘love’ in London just as often as I’ve been called ‘love’ in the 25 years I’ve lived in the north.

I tend to call adults ‘mate’. A very angry Mumsnetter once informed me that was ‘vile’ of me.

I love it when we go to Scotland and DP gets called ‘big man’. He’s not even tall, but also not short enough for the alternate which is ‘wee man’.

My sister often call me “slapper”. 😀

No. I think I do call strangers darling of either sex sometimes. Not so much 'love'.

That sounds more old school kind of patronising. Misogyny like a bloke saying 'listen, love..' to mansplain something or patronise the woman.

No, and it doesn’t bother me when female strangers do the same thing either.

This, as usual, is a class problem and some people think they are above others and should be addressed as so.
It's not a class problem.

It's patronising and that's why I don't like it. I wouldn't care if it was someone working class, middle class or upper class calling me darling, I don't want anyone to do it.

I’m working class and object as strenuously to being addressed patronisingly by anyone of any class. If you can’t see why it’s inappropriate to address a woman as ‘darling’ when you wouldn’t address a male stranger as that, I can’t help you.

@YellowFruitBowl , my post was about a post by @Midsommermadness.

I was agreeing with you!

Good!

I also use chicken, lovely and sometimes dude.

Not at all.

A (female) Aussie friend often addresses her friends as “pretty lady”, no doubt that would offend some.

I like it. It's just a way of acknowledging shared humanity. Where I live it's often 'duck'. It's used by men and women, older and younger.