To ask what you call other women?

[Duckyduckyquackquack]

'woman' sounds rude, 'lady' sounds very formal, 'girl' sounds try-hard for anyone over the age of about 30. So what word so you use?

I tend to call more senior females 'ladies' and other females 18+ 'women'. I do refer to senior males as 'gentlemen' too though. I worked as a care assistant through my college and uni years and I expect it comes from that.

The one I absolutely detest is 'girlies'. Girl is bad enough but girlies is just dreadful.

Gibbon by senior do you mean older? What do you consider senior? I'm 46 and would not like to be called a lady at all.

I call them women or females, because I think they are strong words and the word woman seems to be disappearing from so many adverts for WOMEN’S products in order to pander to a small, but powerful minority. I actually use it more now and have stopped using the word lady as that term suggests that women have to behave in a certain way, in order to be respected. I don’t use the word girls as it infantilises women.

Woman.

It just sounds a bit dismissive to me, especially if it's someone you're on friendly terms with

Then I would refer to them as friend? 😅

I think you need to give more context...do you mean talking about someone? Or too them? I wouldn't say 'hello woman'. I might say 'hello chuck'

Confused at how woman is seen as rude. Woman = adult human female so perfectly reasonable word to describe one.

Lady is twee although as PP have said I do use it when talking to the kids about women we don't know 'be careful you nearly bumped into that lady' etc. Maybe vestiges of it being more polite? Idk. More distant perhaps, I wouldn't describe any of my friends as ladies.

‘Bint’ is nice and informal.

Snorted out half my bedtime brew

Their name.
Failing that, 'woman' every time.
'Ladies' makes me want to fucking vom. As does 'girls'.
Woman and women has a rich, strong ring to it. All my friends refer to women as 'woman'. You know where you are with a woman. Woman all the way.

I love the word woman. Can't imagine how it would be seen as rude or unfriendly. (tbh ditto the word man - why do they need to be chaps or fellows or whatever?)

I love having women friends - the word conveys the maturity and loveliness of being a woman. Why would you need to say something else.

that said my mum always asked me if I was "going out with the girls" when I went home. To her "the girls" were her closest, dearest friends with whom she shared everything - and she loved to think I had "the girls" as well. So for her saying "the girls" was like saying "amazonian ass-kicking wonderwomen" So I have a soft spot for "the girls"

I tend to call more senior females 'ladies'

I'm 70 years old, please don't call me a lady. It makes me think of little old women who smell of lavender.

Lady does sound dismissive to me, woman doesn't.

Woman.
'Girls' is weird and patronising.

Er women, because that's what they are.

Woman, lady, lassie, quine all fine.

Girls, dames, females not so much.

I hate all the “us Bravissimo girls” crap on their website. I buy my underwear elsewhere because of it. I also hate the word “boobs” though, so that’s probably a contributory factor.

In what aspect?
For example I’ve yet to be invited tout on a ‘Women’s night out’ with my female friends, come to think of it I’ve never been invited on a female might out either, been to plenty of ‘girls night out’ or ‘ladies nights’.

‘Woman’ is just so grim, so devoid of any personality, it’s a homogenous collective of grey nothingness. ‘Ladies’ is so much more vibrant and classy, ‘girls’ is more affectionate.

I don’t think men get their undercrackers in a twist if invited on a “lads” or “blokes”or “boys night out” and all uptight with all the hand wrenching and soul searching about what they are called. They just go out.

My (male)(gay) cousin always says “I’m off to collect the cunts for a night out” – possibly a step too far?

We’re northern so you’re lass

My grandad calls every women he doesn't know the name of 'Dutch'.
No idea where that came from. He says 'Women' is rude and 'Lady' is patronising

If it's someone I know I would say my friend/colleague/someone from school/work etc. or use their name.

I only say woman if I don't know them.

I say woman.

Recently I was out to lunch with dm and the waiter repeatedly referred to us as “girls” as in “right then GIRLS what can I get for you?”. I am 40 and dm is nearly 80. I didn’t say anything as dm’s raised eyebrow made me giggle but ffs never was the term “girls” less appropriate.

Actually if I was taking to dh I might say bird. “Some bird in a BMW pulled right out in front of me”. Might stop that.

Woman in general or if talking about someone not involved in the conversation ('that woman over there').

Often lady, sometimes woman, if talking about someone who is in the conversation/can hear it ('give the money to the lady').

Girls when we used to go out, so going for drinks with the girls.

Maid if I'm feeling particularly Cornish!

He says 'Women' is rude and 'Lady' is patronising

@Biancadelrioisback it's me and your grandad against the world!

Will happily conceed that IABU and start saying woman instead of tying myself in knots to avoid it

Dutch? ... Rhyming slang... Duchess of fyfe: wife

Never use 'ladies'. (twee and vom inducing... Reminds me of pub landlord... And a fruit based drink for the lady') ... Either Women..
You guys =talking to close pals. Etc etc..

My grandad calls every women he doesn't know the name of 'Dutch'.

Short for ‘Duchess’, maybe?

The example of the waiter saying 'right then girls, what can I get for you? is definitely not going to work if you're going to replace girls with women, which would definitely sound rude.

However, perhaps someone should tell the waiter that addressing someone in her 80s in that way is rude and perhaps over stepping the friendly mark.

Biancadelrioisback My grandad calls every women he doesn't know the name of 'Dutch'.

• Yep, as in Duchess, quite a common London term from a while back. Not the Netherlands Dutch

I cannot stand "girls' night out" or similar. It is so twee and infantilising for gown women.
(I hate the "boys" equivalent too.)

I was brought up to think that "ladies" was non-U and not to be used. I do use it though, but I like to think in a more swaggery NY way - eg I would happily call one of my friends the "red wine lady" or another one "the piano lady" and I'd say "lady, you need a drink".

I would also use it in its cringey twee way in public if the person I am talking about looks as if they would prefer it - "dd, please could you offer that lady your seat".

I asked someone at work not to call me and my colleague "the girls". The colleague was 20 years younger than me and very inexperienced and I thought it sounded as if she was seeing our job role as inferior and mainly support to her job role. (A lot of people in her job role do. they're wrong.) I asked her nicely, but didn't go into detail about why, and she stopped.

However. Another poster said this and it is true to the word of me:

"that said my mum always asked me if I was "going out with the girls" when I went home. To her "the girls" were her closest, dearest friends with whom she shared everything - and she loved to think I had "the girls" as well. So for her saying "the girls" was like saying "amazonian ass-kicking wonderwomen" So I have a soft spot for "the girls""