# I'm a woman who doesn't like being called "guy" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683 "2025-03-16T21:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/182 "2025-03-17T19:29:54Z")
Just as a clarification, I am a woman, and have used the word guys inclusively as long as I can remember. My sister doesn’t like it, and proudly told me how she corrects waitstaff. 🙄 I don’t use it if I know it isn’t welcome (well. If given the opportunity I would to my sister jusy to give her crap ahemm). Seriously, though, I have yet to find anyone openly offended, (other than sis). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/183 "2025-03-17T19:30:42Z")
Theres no point, at all in trying to convince someone to be offended, either. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/184 "2025-03-17T19:34:02Z")
Just as useless as trying to convince people they _aren’t_ offended? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/185 "2025-03-17T19:38:36Z")
A very simple change from “How are you guys doing?” to “How are you doing?” The word is not only obnoxious, it’s _unnecessary._ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/186 "2025-03-17T19:39:47Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It is entirely possible for the word to be used in a way that the speaker intends to be entirely non-gendered, but still be perceived as gendered by the listener - because we’re talking about communication, which is not just about what you think you said, but about what is heard and understood. We also have to keep in mind that communication is a collective project. We have to think about not just how we use a word but how other people use it. Referring to women as “females” may once have had no offensive meaning. But then various MRA’s and incels and other misogynists began making a point out of complaining about “females” and the word developed offensive connotations. So now everyone should be aware that these connotations exist even if they do not personally believe in them. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/187 "2025-03-17T19:39:57Z")
I think this is a big problem today. People read on social media or hear from others they must be offended or mis-used by a certain word or term. And magically they are a _victim_. It’s the “I am a victim” syndrome so many people have now. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/188 "2025-03-17T19:42:04Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I think this is a big problem today. > > People read on social media or hear from others they must be offended or mis-used by a certain word or term. And magically they are a _victim_. > > It’s the “I am a victim” syndrome so many people have now But we’re talking about sexism directed towards women. Saying that this exists is not inventing a problem; it’s acknowledging reality. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/189 "2025-03-17T19:44:20Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > This is the first I’ve ever heard that “womenfolk” can include children. Think about it. Do the words “boyfolk,” “girlfolk,” or “childfolk” exist? Of course not. But _menfolk_ and _womenfolk_ are established words. What purpose do they serve that “men” and “women” alone couldn’t? There’s your answer. > [@Chronos](#): > > men are almost never called “boys” It seems to be a old-fashioned military thing. If men were gathered into a regular or irregular armed force, they would call each other “boys.” Even gangs of thugs like the Peep o’ Day Boys. Or maybe I’ve been reading too much Revolutionary War and Civil War literature. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/190 "2025-03-17T19:46:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > ‘Folks’, is probably as close as it gets, but it doesn’t roll off the tongue in the same way as ‘guys’. Nope, not inclusive for some people enough unless you spell it with an X for some reason. Though that can be a good indicator of who to avoid spending any more time interacting with, at least online. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/191 "2025-03-17T19:46:08Z")
It’s a perception. Of course I’m not gonna get up and scream “offense” if someone calls a group I’m in “guys”. That is purely invented. IMO ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/192 "2025-03-17T19:46:15Z")
It does work that way for some people- morons mostly. A wide variety of prejudices have existed long before the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/193 "2025-03-17T19:47:06Z")
As is the notion that anyone here is “screaming”. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/194 "2025-03-17T19:47:38Z")
Well, we don’t really know that, do we? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/195 "2025-03-17T19:47:39Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I gritted my teeth at _southern hick_ too. > Obviosly I’m southern. In Arkansas. I’ve been in Arkansas for about 24 years now, and throughout the years there have been a few occasions where I could not understand a Native Arkansan because of their accent. On one awkward trip to Walmart, I asked the cashier to repeat the same thing three times and I still couldn’t understand what she was saying to me. In frustration, I turned to my wife, a native Arkansan herself, and said, “I don’t understand her, do you?” The cashier, no doubt frustrated by my inability to understand simple English, slowed down, enunciated her words, and I finally understood what she was asking me. I had used a gift card and when I handed it to her she asked me a one word question, “Reload?” It sounded like “ree-low” to my ears. I’ve also been on the receiving end of some negative comments based on me being a (transplanted) Arkansan. It stings a bit, but typically I just ignore it and move on. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/196 "2025-03-17T19:50:11Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > That is purely invented. I doubt that very much. When I, with a yarmulke, go through check out in December and get any kind of holiday greeting, I smile and say ‘to you too!’. Should any clerk or cashier wish my sister a “Merry Christmas!” , she responds with a loud and angry “And a happy Hannukah to you!” Whethere people _should_ be offended is a matter of opinion. Whether some women _are_ offended by “guys” is a verifiable fact. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/197 "2025-03-17T19:51:05Z")
Then, if there is no evidence, why bring up “screaming” at all. By the way, is “screaming” more, or less feminine than “yelling”? I have seen the word used as a means to make a person seem to be weaker and more feminine, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/198 "2025-03-17T19:51:06Z")
Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/199 "2025-03-17T19:51:31Z")
Oh, come on… ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/200 "2025-03-17T19:53:21Z")
At 199 posts, I don’t want to scroll all the way back and read this thread again. IIRC, some fo the women responded that they were offended. So no- it is not “purely invented” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683/201 "2025-03-17T20:01:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And here I thought it was dismissive in origin, assuming that the only people worth talking to were men, and that some women accepted it in an effort to become part of that same group. To those of you who object to “guys”, do you also object to waitresses being referred to as “waiters”? Or actresses being called “actors”? I ask because, to me, those examples - as well as “guys” - sound _inclusive_ rather than dismissive. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-a-woman-who-doesnt-like-being-called-guy/1015683.md?page=11)