"Young lady"

[RevoltingPeasant]

AIBU to find this an incredibly patronising and irritating term of address?

Today I was walking through the door of Sainsbury's and some bloke flogging their utilities package tried to flag me down with 'Young lady, are you interested in....?'

The young lady wasn't interested

I have also had this from senior colleagues and a medic recently. I am 32 for fuck's sake and neither 'young' nor a 'lady'. To me, 'young lady' is what my grandmother used to say when I was about 8 and misbehaving.

Whatever happened to 'madam' or even just Revolting? Grrr.

God, I wish someone would call me young lady . . . I think a stranger saying it is forgiveable - what are they supposed to say 'Oy, woman!' ?? but anyone who knows you should have more sense.

Forgivable if the person saying it is elderly but otherwise YANBU

Its patronising

I like madam in France I find it covers everything. I hated when I phoned a well known hotel chain in the UK and they asked for my first name so that they might address me correctly. They are not my friend FFS! I wish I had had the aplomb to say Madam will do nicely thank you. Instead of being taken aback and saying er .. Hatty!

I have a colleague who always addresses the elderly customers as young lady or young man. They always look quite happy with it.

I've also had a woman screaming at me for calling her madam but how else do you address a woman whose name you don't know?

It's better than being called 'young man', which happened to me once

My dad's a Brummie and calls everyone 'cock' as a term of endearment, like 'Oh you poor little cock'. It's normal to me but I have seen some people be a bit about it when he does it in shops!

Lol at KurriKurri

I don't mind being called 'young lady' at all and never have. Being a redhead, I have to deal with the many variations of 'ginger' names - redsy, redser, red, carrots, foxy, ginger etc - not to mention the 'is the hall the same colour as the landing' type questions, so 'young lady' to me is nicely old style and sweet :)

Oo I have been young lady-ed a couple of times by a woman I very much like and want to be friends with. I think she actually means it nicely but it does make me writhe with embarrassment. I am 36 she is a bit older, and part of me tends to hear it as patronising/distancing.

Have never really realised it was something people said to random strangers (certainly never had it before outside a teenage telling off context)

It can sound patronising but I am old enough that I would be pathetically grateful!

"Young lady" is patronising.

I wouldn't let it upset you my darling.