Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To use the word "guys" to refer to people

201 replies

AliceAbsolum · 07/02/2021 19:22

When referring to a mix of gendered people is there anything wrong with saying:

"Hey guys"

"Nice one guys"

"Guys, shall we catch up soon"?

Is it sexist against women? I don't know what opinion to have, so wise vipers please tell me your thoughts.

OP posts:
fuschia2000 · 07/02/2021 20:08

Guilty here of using guys for everyone...but I used to call everyone 'man' 😎😎😎 ..oh dear......

GoodEggy · 07/02/2021 20:16

Totally fine. I would use it for a mixed group of people or either single sex group. Singularly I'd use it for a man and not a woman though.

If anyone finds it offensive then they're really trying hard to be offended.

RuthW · 07/02/2021 20:23

I absolutely hate it. I am not a guy.

Tempusfudgeit · 07/02/2021 20:33

The Goonies: 'Hey you guuuuys!'

NiceGerbil · 07/02/2021 20:34

I don't like it.

It is male as default.

No one would say hello girls to describe a mixed group for eg. It is ridiculous the other way round.

I say hello everyone/ people/ gang etc depending on the dynamic of the group I'm talking to.

Misandrylovescompany · 07/02/2021 20:35

Oh this explains why the woke mafia at work have weighed in to give us all their greatly valued opinion on this word.

Having said that, I do remember with amusement the relatively junior male staffer who addressed every email he sent to senior staff with ‘hello gents ...’. Every single person in the chain of command he was reporting to was female. It went on for quite a while and was the subject of quiet eye rolling until one of the women involved happened to mention it to a man (not in direct line of communication but of similar seniority to her) and then it mysteriously stopped. Presumably the boys’ club passed the message on.

Bramblecrumble · 07/02/2021 20:36

Better than ladies when there is a man in the room

Lastbonestanding · 07/02/2021 20:37

I do it a lot. I never mean 'men'.

NiceGerbil · 07/02/2021 20:44

I don't like it and I'm not woke mafia!

I like it less when my make work mates use sexual imagery to describe stuff eg being 'balls deep' in a project.

Iknowwhatudidlastsummer · 07/02/2021 20:46

It's fine and who the hell gets offended by it! People need to stop. Hmm
I actually quite like it.

"Ladies" I can't stand, coming from a male or a female.

tttigress · 07/02/2021 20:49

I always saw it as unisex, and used it.

But someone at work said it wasn't inclusive, I have stopped using it. To be honest I prefer guys over folks. To me folks makes you sound like an American politician trying to sound humble.

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 07/02/2021 20:51

I much prefer "Hi Guys" to "Hello/Hi Ladies" - hate being called a lady.
Interested to know on email what do people prefer to be referred to as a group?

Merename · 07/02/2021 20:51

I also see it as unisex. I enjoy to call a group of women lads also. Are there people that will find this offensive??? Who knew?

CorianderBee · 07/02/2021 20:51

I use it. It just means people to me...

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 07/02/2021 20:55

Im not offended by it, but it is an example of the default being male

Updatemate · 07/02/2021 20:56

I see it as unisex. I use it and don't see an issue with it.

You can't please everyone. I once used 'folks' and got told it was rude because it made everyone in the room feel like I was saying they are old.

Porcupineintherough · 07/02/2021 20:57

I use it and I quite like it. I do have female friends that object though.

ItsJackieWeaverBitch · 07/02/2021 20:58

I say guys and definitely don’t consider myself to be sexist so I think it’s fine.

Iknowwhatudidlastsummer · 07/02/2021 20:59

But someone at work said it wasn't inclusive

I'd start calling people "humans" or something like that if I was working with such an idiot.

hansgrueber · 07/02/2021 21:00

@DinosaurDiana

I’m over 50 and I’m still a girl 😉
My daughter always refers to 'you and the girls' meaning me and my friends all of whom are 60/70!
SaltyTootsieToes · 07/02/2021 21:00

Have to agree with others in the real world, many many people use “guys” n the examples you gave to just mean everyone in your group/present. Not sexist at all

Lockdownennui · 07/02/2021 21:01

Loads of people saying it is unisex, but that is only in the plural. If you say “I went out with a guy last night”, for example, there’s no ambiguity about the sex of that person. It can be used as gender neutral for multiple people of both sexes because of male-as-default. No one would use a term that refers specifically to women for a group of mixed sexed people. So in my view it’s not a huge deal but it’s definitely reinforcing male as default, which is in general not a good thing for women.

lottiegarbanzo · 07/02/2021 21:03

It's unisex in the way that all 'unisex' things are men's things that women can use too, if they want.

If you want to find out if 'guys' is gendered or not, ask a few hetero men how many guys they've slept with.

I guarantee the response will not be the same as if you'd said 'people'.

Iknowwhatudidlastsummer · 07/02/2021 21:05

I wish people could stop wasting time and energy on ridiculous things like this

and defend the right of women where it actually matters. The way we treat women in labour and post-birth in this country for example is abysmal. Calling them "guys"? really a non-issue.

Coulddowithanap · 07/02/2021 21:07

According to a recent post on here about the same thing you would probably offend more females on here by calling them girls.