It happened twice so far this week; Monday and Tuesday. Some gavone (local parlance for unthinking idiot) referred to me as "young lady", such as in "This young lady will be giving her report". These guys have no idea how condescending they sound to my over 60 year old ears. I just want to slap them upside the head.
I grew up at a time when women finally were able to have meaningful careers of their own, yet many of us have had to put up with some ignorant ignoramus referring to us in the diminutive. ( Don't worry, most of these morons don't know what a "diminutive" is) which is really their way of putting us in our place. My usual reply to the fool who refers to me as "a young lady" is, "I guess you really need your eyes check because I may act like a lady, but I am far from young. I have earned my grey hair, and I have a brain." This usually causes them to get on the defensive and explain that they meant is as a "compliment". What planet do they come from? I wonder why they think this is a compliment. It is beyond me that grown men are so clueless about how to address women of a certain age and competency. Perhaps demeaning us makes them feel superior. I am not here to give you an inflated view of yourself.
Once when I had to call my husband at work a co-worker answered and said to me, "Hold on sweetheart, I'll get him for you." I replied that I did not know him, so I was certainly not his sweetheart and asked him to refrain from referring to me that way if I ever got him on the phone again. He told my husband that I was certainly a "bitch" to which he replied," You called her 'sweetheart' didn't you? Don't do that." He understood.
So, gentlemen ( I am being polite here), be warned, referring to women of a certain age as "young ladies" only shows us how threatened we must make you feel. Get over yourselves!
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