Dear People Calling Me Ma’Am:
STOP MA’AMing ME. AT ONCE.
I repeat, do NOT call me ma’am. I’m 30 years old. I’m not Betty White. I can’t name 2 songs by Frankie Valli. Candy bars never “cost just a nickel” in my lifetime. When it comes to shoes, it’s still fashion over comfort. My underwear are hot… and they fit me. I don’t take 45 seconds to pull into a parking space, or 90 seconds to back out of one. And WTF is a flying nun? I don’t buy CDs at Starbucks. My generation is represented by a single letter. I don’t misplace my car keys or glasses. When I’m sleeping, no one thinks I might be dead. I’ve never donated to PBS. I don’t own a metal detector. I see no point in bowling without beer. Putting on black pants and a sweater is still “getting dressed up.” I’m well aware of when Taco Bell closes. I don’t call hair salons “Beauty Parlors.” I don’t need Boniva… and my haircut doesn’t make my head look like a q-tip.
So please, people of the world, save the MA’AMing crap for Sally Field, Betty White, and my grandmother.
Thank you,
Jill
1 Comment
September 21, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I agree with you. I hate being called ma’am as well, and I am nearly a decade your senior. However, I am not a senior citizen. I don’t appreciate people trying to bury me before my time either. There’s nothing about me that looks old. But my brother in law persists on calling me ma’am, even though I’m old enough to be his big sister. WTF? I do not call other women ma’am no matter how old. Ms. is what all women will hear from me. No judgement about a woman’s age or her marital status will ever pass from my lips. Between you and I, we can start a revolution and bury ma’am for good. Even “older” women hate being called ma’am. Why should they care for someone rudely referencing their age and therefore mortality every time they go for services?
So, you don’t want to be called ma’am? Do not call anyone else ma’am either.