4 ms·
Many people over the age of, say, 30, feel weird about using the word "boyfriend" or "girlfriend", because they feel that it implies a young person.
by AndrewDucker 14y ago
Many people over the age of, say, 30, feel weird about using the word "boyfriend" or "girlfriend", because they feel that it implies a young person.
- gadders 14y agoI had a fabulous middle-class friend once who would refer to his Mum's boyfriend as "My mother's lover". Let's bring "lover" back. Failing that "Other Half" or "Baby Mums".
- jiggy2011 14y agoI always thought "lover" meant the person one was having an affair with.
- pyre 14y agoI've always thought that lover implied sex ('lover' describing that they 'make love'), which is not a given in all relationships.
- jiggy2011 14y agoIt would probably be unusual (and super depressing) to have a sexless affair. I have also heard the term used in place of "fuck buddy" though.
- pyre 14y agoI meant to imply that "lover" was defined as "someone you have sex with," not "someone you are having an affair with." It's just used in the context of an affair because your partner in the affair is someone you have sex with.
- jwoah12 14y agoUgh the word "lover" really creeps me out for some reason. It might be because of the Welshly Arms Hotel SNL sketch. Either way, I can't imagine referring to anyone as "my mom's lover." shiver
- lucian1900 14y agoI haven't noticed it. I know a guy well into his 50s who says "girlfriend" and she's of similar age.
- pretoriusB 14y agoYou "haven't noticed it" because you know ONE guy? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence
- pyre 14y agoTranslated: I know many people, and none of them refer to their significant other as a 'partner.' For example, I know one guy that is 50, who refers to his same-aged significant other as his 'girlfriend,' and it doesn't seem to bother him that 'girl' is in the name instead of 'woman.'
- alsothings 14y agoThis describes me (I live in the UK). I'm 31 I've been in a lovely heteronormative relationship for eight years. We aren't married, and we've called each other 'partner' for years. In my head it lives in the linguistic space between '[boy|girl]friend' and the state-sponsored '[husband|wife]'. I also enjoy its gender neutrality.
- pyre 14y ago"partner" implies a deeper relationship than many "boyfriend/girlfriend" relationships. When someone describes someone as their partner (in a relationship context), I assume they are married or common-law (or would be married if it was legal -- e.g. gay marriage).