to think that there is NEVER an acceptable reason to call a 32 year old woman a "young girl?"

[Hullygully]

No I'm not.

I couldn't care less what emotive flannel is flung about.

IT. IS.NOT.ACCEPTABLE.

The end.

spookytoo

I loved it when visiting a late uncle several years ago and he greeted me with, "Ha wey, me bonny wee lass!" That's what he used to call me when I was small. I was moved.

I'm 34 and I'd love to be called a young girl. An older lady we know used to call dh and me " the children", we were both in our thirties then!

I can imagine older people calling a 32 year old man, "a young lad"

I have only ever heard it patronisingly - the dick Head said it to my colleague : "Oh ho, I see you have a young girl working with you" indicating me. I looked stern and said "Oh, how lovely (sarcastically) to be called a young girl at 40, aren't we the same age? wee (I'm scottish) boy"

he looked most miffed and stomped off.

A colleague and I are sometimes referred to as 'the girls'. We do a similar job (slightly different specialism, same role) in the same team, which includes two men and two much older women, the men at the same level as us. We are 33 and 40.
The two men are never called 'the boys', oddly enough.

Hully

Bert Clos called his Olympic medal winning son (about 25 I think) "My beautiful boy" on that lovely BBC interview.

Yo are citing instances where the intent was to offend, or the person didn't care about being offensive

ha !

at least the gender is correct

I get called a man, occasionally, by elderly people

that is depressing

I know some "boys" in their 30s/40s but they are gay. I'm not sure what point I making here.

AF - get your ears pierced. worked for me when I was 7

I think the only ok time is if someone looks very young for their age and the person saying "young girl" thinks that the "girl" is under 18. Still a bit ewww, but maybe ok at a push.

AF, have you tried one of those nice baby headbands, with the bow?

it won't work, Jamie

I am definitely not 7, and my ears are already pierced

I need to grow my hair, lose about 6 inches in height, grow some curves and stop marching about

Sue, I'm considering it

I do agree really. I get that if you accept it you are accepting it in other circumstances, because the unthinking use of language is what allows patronising attitudes to persist.

at Sue

In my profession the term is used freely and is used to patronise. Other terms such as bird, girlie, babes, love are also used and are equally irritating.

You have stamina, Hulls. I admire that.

YAnbu at all
Esp in relation to the poor woman who was killed. A young woman can be described as a young woman, or at a push a girl, but not ever a young girl. A young girl to me is a child.

Really? This is what makes you angry? It's never acceptable? I can't believe that anyone can get irate over something so trivial. It has probably partly been said because the 23 year old was quite a young girl and they are being classed together to unite the sympathy for them.

I'd just love to be called young

It is trivial and not sure why people keep making threads about threads.

Chris Addison was 36. It's ok if the callee is Dr Who.