4 ms·

s/girl/woman/

• untog 14y ago
  Genuine question: is girl perceived as a derogatory term? If so, what should someone use? Woman feels very formal to me. What's the female equivalent of "guy" if not "girl"?
  • guptaneil 14y ago
    I think girl is perfectly acceptable in this context, but if you want to be politically correct and informal, you could use gal. My rule is use girl wherever I'd use guy/dude, and woman wherever I'd use man. I'm not sure why "girl" is seen as derogatory, especially since I've never met a woman who minded it. This is a broad generalization, but in my experience, the only ones that seem to mind are adolescents who would prefer to be called a woman over girl because this differentiation matters to them. Women are usually secure about their adulthood, and don't feel threatened being called a girl in an informal setting. While girl technically refers to a child or an immature woman, in common slang, it has simply become the female equivalent of "guy." Of course, "chick," "babe," etc are derogatory because they are slang meant to objectify/sexualize the woman. I don't feel the same is true of "girl." I find it fascinating though how such a simple word can be interpreted in so many ways, and can completely change the tone of a sentence.