u/FinnRistola

I'm a guy, almost 40, and hate when grown ass men refer to women as girls. I think it sounds objectifying, minimising, and just plain gross.

A girl is a child, a teenager or whatever, same as a boy. They don't belong in the adult dating world, and using the words for them creeps me out so much.

I see it all the time in American entertainment. It's "Guys & Girls", "Men & Girls", "Dudes & Girls", "let's get some girls", "are there any girls?", I don't even know.

English isn't even my first language. I am from Sweden and although we have an all encompassing term for women of all ages (tjej(a romani term originally)), using the literal word for girl (flicka) would sound so damn creepy in any situation that you'd make a double take, like we ought to keep an eye on this guy.

But in English it seems so common I'm left wondering:

Are women bothered by this as well or am I being a damn Don Quixote here fighting something that doesn't even relate to me, or isn't even a fight? I rarely see people upset about this, but I get pissed off every time I see 'girl' (or 'boy' for that matter) in a context that isn't about children, especially if it's sexual in nature.

Anyway I was called a whiteknight tryhard or whatever for airing this opinion irl, acting like I was being a woke sjw or whatever (which I don't even see as an insult, but still), I'm curious if this is something you think about or if it's just whatever.