Is it just me or is it very wrong to adress a female of the same age group or younger as ma'am? I get this all the time, Im 19 and men alway call me ma'am. Am i right to be offended? Its not that I feel like an old maid, it just defeats the pourpose if you just use any honorific you want.
2007-09-05 22:08:39 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
I suppose if your older than 35 it may be somewhat acceptable to call a peer ma'am but i have had anyone from college age to elderly men
2007-09-05 22:13:04 · update #1
as an older man I address a female under 21 as miss...and over as ma-am......good luck
2007-09-05 22:14:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm 19 too, and at the place I used to work I always had older men, women, and people my age call me Ma'am. At first I was a little confused about. I too though that Miss was used generally for younger women. I don't think you should be offended though. Even though Miss sounds a bit nicer, Ma'am is probably considered more formal. So I don't really give it much thought anymore.
2007-09-05 22:23:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're being over-sensitive in my opinion. When people call you "ma'am", they are just being polite. If I'm talking to someone who could be even five minutes older than me, I make sure I say "ma'am" or "sir" because it's polite and courteous, not to mention a matter or respect. I'm 21 and people call me "ma'am" all the time. If you don't like it when people call you "ma'am", just say so. Not rudely, mind you. Just say "oh, you don't have to call me that!". If anything, you should be thankful people have enough respect to call you "ma'am" in this day and age.
2007-09-06 03:59:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Miss = unmarried
Mrs. = married
Ms. = a term whose use was pushed to the forefront only in the last 20 to 30 years, when some women, for some reason, decided it was offensive to be identified as being either single or married
Ma'am = short for Madame, a title of respect, originally only used to address women such as the wives of certain dignitaries. Madame is French for "my lady", and there is nothing disrespectful about it - just the opposite, in fact. When someone calls you "ma'am", you can bet your bottom dollar they were raised to treat women of all ages in a respectful manner. You're not offended by respect, are you, lol.
2007-09-06 03:44:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't get offended. I worked in the service industry for years, and I often slipped and called younger women "Ma'am." I would realize my error, and try to correct it by saying humorously, "I'm sorry, Miss, you're too young to be a Ma'am." I usually got a little polite smile, and a "that's quite alright." response, but I don't think anybody was ever offended because they were called "Ma'am." Besides, we've got worse things to think about, like if we remembered to zip up our fly while working in the service industry! Now that's embarrassing (not that I've ever done that)!
2007-09-06 01:28:28 · answer #5 · answered by Nobody Special 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Try not to be offended. Where I come from we call all females Ma'am, regardless of their age. I would be a little uncomfortable calling someone Miss or having someone call me Miss, but that's just the way I was raised.
Unfortunately a lot of people in my neck of the woods also use hon, babe, dear, darlin' and such and that makes me uncomfortable to some degree, even though I know they don't intend to offend.
2007-09-06 00:59:24 · answer #6 · answered by EvilWoman0913 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, you're NOT right to be offended. They COULD be saying "Hey, you", or calling you "b_itch". It's a term of respect. Accept it for that and grow up.
**It's not about age, dummy. It's about respect. Why would a 21 year old, married college senior want to be called "Miss"? She's not a miss. It's about respect.
Jesus, if THIS is your biggest problem, get on your knees and thank whatever God you pray to. You're still VERY young, and will probably never mature much beyond 16 or 17 if THIS bothers you so much. This is just a stupid complaint.
Sorry, but I just couldn't stand the stupidity any longer.
2007-09-06 00:40:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Miss is usually reserved for someone unmarried, ma'am for one who is married. Why is it so important to you which term is used as long as you are being addressed in a respectful manner? It seems you are under some mistaken idea that a ma'am is some old woman who never married. I guess manners and etiquette really are lacking today.
2007-09-06 01:01:28 · answer #8 · answered by dawnb 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Nothing to be offended about... the problem is that "Miss" means unmarried and "Ma'am" means married. It's not an age thing. If they were smart, they'd check your ring finger first.
P.S. "Ma'am" has more clout and power behind it whereas "Miss" sounds kind of lower on the pecking order.
2007-09-05 22:58:56 · answer #9 · answered by Tangerine 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would not call another woman Ma'am at all. I would say Madam. This would only be if i were in the service industry (to which i have worked in before.)
I do not know why you get this, i just think it is service gone to the packs. Saying Ma'am is offensive to me....
2007-09-06 00:12:32 · answer #10 · answered by kelstar 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
funny how I get people way older than me calling me ma'am and people younger than me calling me Miss
2015-04-11 07:57:03 · answer #11 · answered by Anne Smith 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋