Hi guys! You don’t mind if I call you guys, right?

[noblegiraffe]

Just out of interest, if you are female:

YABU: yes, I do mind being referred to in a group as guys, even if it’s just a minor niggle that I will never bring up.

YANBU: I don’t give a toss if you refer to me in a group as a guys. It’s a gender-neutral word these days.

I hate being addressed as guys, not because I’m a woman, but because it sounds like all of the Youtubers out there, and I can’t stand them and their high-octane bouncy personalities!

But it always to males as the default. We don’t call mixed groups gals or lasses.

People who say literally when they mean the opposite usually do it because they are a bit thick.

Ask a straight man how many guys he’s slept with, and you’ll quickly find them backtrack on it being gender-neutral!

It’s only ever male terms that become gender-neutral, because man is seen as better than woman, so it is a compliment to the women to refer to them as men. Try calling a mixed group “ladies” and you'll soon find the men who think “guys” is gender-neutral complaining.

As I said, just an example of usage evolving over time

Given that we have lads, guys and possibly chaps, are there any examples of female terms ‘evolving over time’ to refer to a mixed group?

Could be worse, if we were addressed as "you girls".

@MrsMoastyToasty

I hate it. Particularly annoying when young waiters in restaurants barely older than my teenage son ask "is everything ok with you guys?" midway through a meal.

Can I ask why it bothers you more when it's waitstaff that do it, and why their age matters? Asking because I've been the 18/19 year old working in a cafe/pub and calling groups "guys".

Unless you mean in a posh restaurant where calling a group of men "guys" would be inappropriate, in which case I understand that.

I hate it with a passion. I live in the US. I’ve taught my children that they can’t say it in my earshot (can’t stop them using it totally as even their teachers use the term!). I find it sloppy and unnecessary.

Not bothered

Heterosexual men aren't keen if you refer to women they sleep with as guys. They're quite sensitive in general though.

I do mind it!

I'm far more offended by someone calling me a girl!

I agree "guy" is largely a safe term for a group of people but calling a group of women "the girls" is demeaning IMO.

Not too fussed about guys. But when I was one of just two females in my seminar group in the late 1980s I did object to being “the girls” 😡

I'm fine with it if the person saying it is genuine. And usually men up to age about 30, I find it irritating when women say it, for some reason. But from someone who doesn't know me I don't like it at all.

@misspotter no- Nom nom is the only offence for which there is still capital punishment. It's not in that category

I prefer it to peeps. At least guys is just a bit of an Americanism rather than completely butchering the English language.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest.
I often use it in a Goonies "Hey you guys" style.

What about Peeps 😂

Heterosexual men aren't keen if you refer to women they sleep with as guys

I've never met any, guys is gender neutral collective noun for humans for almost everyone I've met, particularly the straight men. I know a very small number of women who dislike it, and for that reason I always use folks unless I know the group is all happy, however:

I get more irritated by 'folks'

I'll obviously annoy @butterer, sorry.

I don't mind guys to be honest it seems applicable to a group.

I am the only female in my team at work and my boss said "fellas can we have a chat in the meeting room?" and I figured since I'm not a fella it didn't apply to me so I stayed put at my desk...they came out of the office saying "sunshine come on we need you too, why didn't you come?"

Well don't say fellas then!

@noblegiraffe

As I said, just an example of usage evolving over time

Given that we have lads, guys and possibly chaps, are there any examples of female terms ‘evolving over time’ to refer to a mixed group?

Not off the top of my head. I get what you're saying - it's likely rooted in sexism - but I don't think "guys" actually has a comparable female equivalent? I.e. I wouldn't call a mixed group "ladies", but nor would I "gentlemen", which I think is its functional equivalent. I suppose you could say "gals" is the female version of "guys", but I rarely hear that word in any context.

I wouldn’t be at all offended.
As a pp mentioned, language evolves.

I don't like it, or being called mate.

Totally happy with 'guys'.....call me 'hun' though and we've got problems

I don’t particularly like it because it sounds like those irritating YouTubers.

If we say that ‘language has evolved’, then that means that for a long time women were thoughtlessly referred to as guys even though it meant men and the women just put up with it. So we’ve just been ground down to acceptance?

I can’t see men doing the same.