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From: rdz@ccice5.UUCP (Robert D. Zarcone)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: When are you a man/woman/lady ?
Message-ID: <925@ccice5.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 10-Oct-85 11:58:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccice5.925
Posted: Thu Oct 10 11:58:11 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Oct-85 04:45:20 EDT
References: <723@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: CCI Central Engineering, Rochester, NY
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> 
> Re: When are you a man/woman/lady ?_______________________________
> 
> > The word "lady" is used in modern speech by those who are afraid
> > of the word "woman."
> 
> 	Truer words have seldom been spoken!
> 	The absence of a proper corollary to "guy" is irrelevant.
> If forced to choose between "man" and "boy" to describe a male
> person of, let's say, 19 years of age, few people would "insult"
> (for that is indeed how it would be taken) him by selecting "boy."
> Why, then, is there such reluctance to grant a female person of
> the same age the same courtesy and call her a "woman?"
> 		<_Jym_>

Having had quite a "Southern" influence on my life, I am afraid I have
to disagree.  I have heard many instances of men and women in their
30s and 40s being called "boy" or "girl" (in both white and black
environments).  Granted, this is not the case in the Northeast,
generally speaking.  But there is at least one region of this country
where your example would be "common speach" and not an "insult" at all.

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