Today I am a "Ma'am"

[Caity Lynn]

I use ma'am and sir at work all. It's simply polite. Now i've gotten so bad though, I'll catch myself doing it to my friends. someone tells me "Caity, go get me a drink" I say "yes ma'am" ....when the person is 17 lol

I caught myself calling a kid sir in the store today.

and a gentleman today called me ma'am. lol

 

[Viola]

I was taught in Boot to call female officers ma'am and female enlisted by what they were ("Yes, Chief! Aye aye, Petty Officer!" etc.)

And all female civilians are ma'am.

I do not know what would have happened to me as a Boot Camp recruit if I called my female Chief sir, and I did not care to find out - she was hella tough.

 

[C-dot]

I would do the same! Most of the military chicks I know, not even the huge burly boys would mess with. They are very tough!

I've got to ask my beau for some clarification.

 

[kyda]

The first time that I was ever called Ma'm, I told the young man rather rudely that I worked for a living. It was my first encounter with an American person and did not realize that he was being polite, I will never forget the look on his face and my horror later when I realized that I had been rude. Now I get offended if I am called miss now that I am married.

 

[Dexter'sDame]

Guys have it lucky...

Having Southern relatives, and having worked in retail in my mid-teens, the ma'am came early. But I've always hated it; my mother is a ma'am, not me!

Since in most cases it's meant to be a term of respect, I don't say anything, although I prefer "Miss" and sign my name as "Ms." when a title is required.

The waiter at one of my favorite restaurants called me "Madame" when he took my champagne order, with the accent on the last syllable. I didn't mind that because of the charming way he said it in his South African accent. (Picture Colin Cowie as your waiter.) From everyone else, I still prefer "Miss".

IMHO the guys have it lucky: in the U.S., they're a "Sir" regardless of age or marital status! [huh]

 

[deadpandiva]

My sister and I were going to Make shirts that Said Today I am Ma'am for our 30 birthday. I have been getting called mam since my mid twentys. At 35 I still don't like being called ma'am.

 

[C-dot]

Okay!

I asked Kyle about calling female officers Sir: He said it was a US thing. I told him that, according to the Lounge ladies, it wasn't, and he said that when he went on an exercise to Fort Irwin (Khyber Thrust), the female officers were called Sir. He remembered it because it was strange. Otherwise, he says, they're called Ma'am.

Maybe its a Californian thing lol

 

[ChristineSprig]

I was surprised the first time it happened. Especially because it was when I was walking away from a cash register and had forgotten an item and the kid behind the counter (who looked no more than 3 or 4 years younger than I) called me ma'am.

It was just after I had gotten married though, so I think it was an extra shock. I am married, I have a new last name, and now people call me ma'am?! ::GASP!::

Older people call me ma'am at work quite a lot, which seems strange to me for some reason.

Honestly though, I think it is just a matter of being polite. I am officially not a "miss" any more, so, I suppose I had better get used to the idea.

 

[Lenore]

Okay!

I asked Kyle about calling female officers Sir: He said it was a US thing. I told him that, according to the Lounge ladies, it wasn't, and he said that when he went on an exercise to Fort Irwin (Khyber Thrust), the female officers were called Sir. He remembered it because it was strange. Otherwise, he says, they're called Ma'am.

Maybe its a Californian thing lol

Maybe it's a Californian thing... or a Navy thing. I've never hear a female officer referred to as anything but Ma'am. Being that my husband had a college education before he enlisted as a Joe... (yeah.. that was dumb!) people seemed to be under the assumption when we were anywhere and they saw his class ring that he was an officer. Embarrassing for them when they figured it out, but we made quite a few officer friends that way, both male and female. The females were always Ma'am.

 

[Lenore]

Somewhat resurrecting.


Today, I got an email in which the opening greeting was "Good Morning, Mrs. LeBlanc."

I immediately checked my mirror for wrinkles. lol


Edited to Add: And on the other end of the spectrum, a young man seemed to think I was 19. Today has been so surreal...

 

[RLM]

Hey ladies, sorry to sneak into the powder room, but I do peruse all the FL forums for interesting topics. This one caught my eye. Being from the southern US, ma'am and sir have just always been terms of respect that I use. Pretty much regardless of age. I've never researched the origins of ma'am, but just assumed its American slang for the french madame or the english version, madam. Something I once read seems to fit a lot of American slang: English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.
Anyway, the topic reminded me of something my mother told me once when I was a kid, rather heatedly, actually. We had just watched an old movie in which one of the characters was English and called all the ladies madam. I was going to the kitchen for a snack and asked my mother, in my best southern boy English accent, "May I get you anything madam?" She was normally a very quiet woman and I never heard her use vulgar words, but when I said that, she said "Don't you ever call me that again, that's what you call a woman that runs a whore house!" So, apparently ma'am is OK but don't dare use the proper word madam.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

Never been called madam myself, but I don't know if I'm proper enough to be addressed as such (thinking of the positive reference, as opposed to RLM's mother's definition).

Today, I heard one that I can't say is regional (since there are so many transplants), I just don't hear it often. From a handsome fella no less. Called me darlin', twice. And I let him.

 

[Gracie Lee]

I became a "ma'am" at the tender age of 22, just by moving south. RLM makes an excellent point about location. In New England, I'm still "miss," but down here in Florida, I've been "ma'am" for years. It always cracks me up, because my office is next door to a university, and I'm constantly asked where things are on campus by people who mistake me for a student.

 

[Shirin]

I had never really heard Ma'am until I moved to Georgia, first few years, I was put off a bit by it (I was 17-18). I've been here 12 years, and I hear it all the time, even my boss calls me ma'am. I say it too, but only those ladies I can judge to be 40 +. If they look less than that, I consciously make the effort to use Miss instead. I like Miss much better anyway and I think they do too.

 

[GoldieChaplin]

Sigh. Being a late teenager, I don't really know the true feeling of being called ma'am but I was called that last summer. ADORABLE little kid at the Asian market (looked like the boy from Up) couldn't reach the Pocky for his little sister. I got it down for her and he said "thank you, ma'am." To give him credit, I must have seemed a million years old to him. lol

 

[Lenore]

To point out the cultural differences, I dropped my daughter off late at daycare today. One of the little girls in her two year old class was having a fit and thought throwing some blocks was a good idea. The teacher walked her away from the blocks, and sat down with her. "No, ma'am! We do not throw things when we get upset. You could hurt someone!"

There's never an age where we're not ma'am. lol

 

[KittyT]

I know a girl who always gets called "Sir". She's really enjoying being pregnant now, so she can see the expressions on peoples' faces when she turns around.

 

[Tenuki]

Time is relative

I'm not old enough to be called Ma'am! I don't think I look old enough to be called Ma'am I know people are probably just trying to be polite, but I'd honestly prefer "lady" to Ma'am. (By "old enough," I mean sweet old lady with white hair.)

I find anyone younger than 30 to be young, anyone under 25 to be kids. Except in high school year books from the 50s and 60s, where all those kids look middle-aged.

I can't remember the first time I was called ma'am. It used to make me giggle, when someone used that term. I do see it as respectful, but now that I'm a couple weeks from 46 and one of the nice security guards at work said,'have a nice evening, ma'am." I realized that I have surpassed Lady and became Ma'am.

Dare I say that I miss sweetheart, dollface, cupcake, and babe?

*sigh*

 

[Puzzicato]

I thought calling women "Sir" was a Star Trek thing - so I assumed it was from the Navy.

I haven't been called Ma'am often enough to bother me. But the first time I was called Signora instead of Signorina I was crushed (I was living in an area with a lot of Italians and at the deli they would often address you in Italian).

 

[shepkatt]

Living in a military city for all of my life I can't remember when I went from Miss to Ma'am.. but it seems like I have always been called that. My almost 18 year old daughter got called Ma'am the other day.. so it doesn't bother me too much.. Plus I just turned 45 - ack - so I guess I am squarely in Ma'am-ville