to think that all the people who have a problem with people using "girls" instead of "women"

[CartwrightMiss]

Should say "womanfriend" instead of "girlfriend"?

[gron]

I agree 'girls' is fine if you're using it as an affectionate name for your mates but if I was called a girl at work I would be mighty pissed off. I would never call the men in the office 'boys'. The Production and Marketing Departments are not run by girls FFS!

I remember a long thread on here not so long ago about the calling women girls thing. Many of us thought we needed a female equivalent to 'blokes'. But we couldn't agree on what it should be.

I don't raise an eyebrow at girlfriend or boyfriend though because to me they are words with their own meanings. Sometimes I will say partner though, it's becoming the more commonly-used term nowadays.

I do think it's strange not to like being called a woman though hellsbellsmelons. What do you prefer to be called?

I don't refer to anyone over the age of 16 as a girl generally. I might refer to a young woman if someone seems to be under 20 but otherwise I use woman or women. Same goes for men. It's just about respect IMO.

I agree it's about respect. I hardly ever hear people saying it apart from Shania Twain, and she's allowed.

Didn't Boots have a successful campaign based on the song 'Girls'?

I get (internally) ragey at work when I hear myself referred to as a girl by customers ( as in, 'Oh let's ask the girl over there') because firstly I'm 42, not a girl by any stretch of the imagination and secondly, as other posters have said, it's not a situation where they would use 'boy'. I've never heard male colleagues being referred to as anything other than men. Worse is when some patronising dickwad says 'good girl' when I successfully manage to engage my female brain to answer whatever query they have. I'm not a dog and it's my job, I'm supposed to know the answer.

I hear it far too often not to have twitchy issues over it. It's really annoying.

Technotropic Boots' 'Here come the girls' Christmas advertising is why I buy all my female crap from Superdrug. It's just embarrassing.

I don't mind women calling me a girl, or young men. I only find it creepy when old men call every woman a girl, in that sort of sad assumption you will be flattered by it. Or it can be patronising when its said in a work setting.

I must admit to finding it odd when my ex boyfriend's (we were mid twenties) 60 year old father put photos of his "girlfriend" up on Facebook.

I've a tendency to refer to DH as "my man", but he is only allowed to refer to me by my name!

Technotropic, yes, I don't mind it in songs. I suppose because it's clearly done for fun and there are equivalent songs where adult men are referred to as boys. Like Gaga's "Boys, boys, boys."

I actually complained to the BBC during the Olympics after one too many Men and Girls comments especially when the "girls" in question were winning gold medals.

Its not the use of a diminutive term per se that was the problem, Steve Redgrave referred to "boys" and "girls" in a rowing context and it seemed quite affectionate and avuncular, its the inconsistency shown by some of the commentators that annoyed me.

MrsDimitri

That may have been a deal breaker for you but the Boots 'Here Come the Girls' campaign lasted for 5 years so was pretty successful.

This is the problem IMHO. On the one hand you have a large national company and a successful campaign that says 'it's ok to call women girls' and then a load of women who don't like it. All are equally valid so where do people stand? I admit that calling women girls in a derrogatory manner is poor but what about everyone else?

Technotropic, it is like everything else. The right thing to say and do depends on the context. A song is a different context to speaking. Speaking about people in general is different to speaking to an individual. Speaking at work is different to speaking at a social event. Speaking to a friend is different to speaking to a stranger. There isn't one rule to fit every situation.

This actually really pisses me off. It happened to me the other day when I went into the bank, the man I saw referred to me on the 'phone to his colleague as a "young girl". I've been pissed off about it ever since. I'm not 9. That is a young girl. A 32 year old woman is not a young girl. Wish i'd said something at the time.

Freya

Exactly, and as such the lines are blurred as the workplace means different things to different people.

I've heard both men/women (of all ages) refer to women as girls in the office, shops and socially.

From previous examples I would tend to sneer at someone saying 'good girl' but saying 'the girls in the office next door will fix that for you' may/may not be offensive.

The thing about the song, "here come the girls" is fun but women often say that they're going for a 'girls night out/in' etc. and that leads to a social situation where it's ok to refer to women as girls.

Many more people will be offended by being called a girl at work than will be offended by being called a woman at work. If you want to offend fewer people, don't call them girls at work.

Very few people are offended by being called a girl if men are also being called boys in the same context. If you would also say 'boy' about a stranger/person you aren't good friends with without causing offence, then it's probably not going to offend many people to say 'girl.'

I wouldn't be offended by being called a girl, but based on prior experience, I would think somebody who called women girls at work likely to be a sexist person and I would be (privately) wary about them.

Don't worry, I only use generic terms for sexes nowadays. Much safer

Serious NON ISSUE. Call me what you like I really don't give a stuff!

I love being called a girl as long as it isn't said in a patronising way.

It makes me feel young

Same as Saggy. At some point age , being called a girl is a compliment!

I wouldn't want to be referred to as a 'girl' at work - I'm a professional adult woman thank you.

BUT I'm now in that weird situation where I'm seeing someone and can't find a suitable word to use when referring to him - 'my boyfriend' sounds daft (we're not 14 any more, a long way past!) yet 'partner' sounds too businesslike and we don't live together so seems rather officious. 'Other half' is awful and 'lover' not really socially suitable!

DD1 suggests 'manfriend'

Like I tell my dcs frequently, a word can only be used as an insult if you take it as one. If I don't give two shits about the phrase, it ceases to be insulting.

Maybe in an ideal world...But in real life, words hurt.

Well, and also, in the real world, words change people's perceptions.

If you work somewhere where the women are always 'the girls' and the men are men, I think the culture goes along with it. No doubt it's possible to be addressed as 'girlie' by your colleagues and still command the respect you deserve, but it's less likely IMO.

Surely if someone means to insult you, the actual words are irrelevant?