Calling Women "Darling, Dear, Love" etc.

[ocdscale]

I use ma'am because I don't want them to call INS on me.

[schwza]

i think it's pretty tacky for anybody under 40ish to call a woman they don't know any of those things. if your boss was a woman, would you call her that?

[TiK]

I encountered this a lot while in New Orleans, and in the south in general. Many women I encountered called everyone "baby" or "honey" or "sugar" and the men did it too with "darlin'" and "hon'", but also "ma'am" when speaking in a more respectful manner. It was kinda catchy and I find myself doing it at times now, though it's mostly "ma'am", at times, a random "hon" or "baby" will slip in; it may appear flirtatious, but I mean it in a totally unflirtatious way unless I'm saying it to my girlfriend.

[TIEdup14]

Matt Damon's character used the "Darling" all the time in The Departed and it was pretty damn cool

[James Boston]

Darlin, baby, beautiful, sweetheart, honey, gorgeous....I use them all regularly. No one's ever been offended by it, I am in the south though.

Our receptionist is a very sweet southern lady. She calls everyone, man or woman, baby or honey. I've had a few people complain, always women - always not from the south, when they got through to me that they were just called baby by the receptionist.

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i think it's pretty tacky for anybody under 40ish to call a woman they don't know any of those things. if your boss was a woman, would you call her that?

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Cool, I'm 40ish. Thanks darlin.

[RandALLin]

Here in North Carolina it's pretty standard to call girls "sweetheart, babe, darlin" etc.

[4_2_it]

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i think it's pretty tacky for anybody under 40ish to call a woman they don't know any of those things. if your boss was a woman, would you call her that?

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Cool, I'm 40ish. Thanks darlin.

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Me too, love.

[wadea]

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That brings up another point though: if you're out with your girlfriend/wife do you still call waitresses "darling" or "gorgeous"?

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Since moving to Baltimore, I picked up calling women, "hon," and I do it with wife around. Since I use it with women of all ages and degrees of comeliness, it might as well be "miss" or "ma'am".

Gorgeous or darling would be out of line, wife around or not.

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I actually call my wife "Wife". For example, leaving in the morning I say "Have fun at work, Wife" or signing off on the telephone "Okay, see you at home, Wife". I don't know when it started, but it's always been used endearingly and never derogatorily. Well, almost never.

[amplify]

I called my last wife Muffin. She loved it.