I was at the airport going through security several years ago and there was this gal in front of me, probably out in her early twenties. She was dressed in quite a glamorous way and clearly took pride in her appearance. Seemed like a nice enough person too. For reference I was probably old enough to be her father.
As she’s walking away I realized she had left her hand bag or some other personal item. I called out to her but for some reason I had a brainfart and said “excuse me ma’am” instead of “excuse me miss”.
She didn’t my seem to notice my faux pas and was appreciative that I had let her know. But I sometimes wonder if after she walked away this was her “oh fuck, I’m a ma’am?!” moment. Which was definitely not my intention.
I think ma’am is a better default for strangers. It’s the best female equivalent available for sir. Miss sounds patronizing unless you are using it in place of Mrs.
I was at the airport going through security several years ago and there was this gal in front of me, probably out in her early twenties. She was dressed in quite a glamorous way and clearly took pride in her appearance. Seemed like a nice enough person too. For reference I was probably old enough to be her father.
As she’s walking away I realized she had left her hand bag or some other personal item. I called out to her but for some reason I had a brainfart and said “excuse me ma’am” instead of “excuse me miss”.
She didn’t my seem to notice my faux pas and was appreciative that I had let her know. But I sometimes wonder if after she walked away this was her “oh fuck, I’m a ma’am?!” moment. Which was definitely not my intention.
I think ma’am is a better default for strangers. It’s the best female equivalent available for sir. Miss sounds patronizing unless you are using it in place of Mrs.