Weekly Poll: Is the word “Gal” offensive?

My husband works in a politically correct Fortune 500 corporate environment (with a woman CEO I might add) so he often engages in conversations with others about the proper way to address other employees.    Recently, he was told by one of his bosses that the word  “gal” was offensive and he should try not to use it when referring to the women in his department.   He thought that was odd so he came home to ask me about it.

S0 is the word “gal” offensive?  My husband was under the impression that “gal” is to “woman” as “guy” is to “man”.   I had to stop and think about it for a minute.   I don’t often pay that much attention to how anyone addresses me.   When talking to my all-girl band, I usually say “you guys” or “you ladies”.   I don’t use the term “gal”.   It conjures up pictures of some cowgirl-type with a Southern accent.   Not that that is a bad image, just not likely something we see up here in the Northern states, especially this close to the Windy City.   I know a lot of folks with Chicago accents and I just can’t recall ever hearing them refer to anyone as a “gal”.

Now that I think about it, maybe it’s a generational thing.   I’m in my 30’s and being a product of the 80’s, I am more likely to call someone a “dude” or a “chick” rather than a “guy” or a “gal”.   I do realize that some women take offense to being called a “chick”, though.   So what is proper and acceptable these days?  Give me your thoughts…

Need an Empowering Gift for a Girl?
Order Girls Can’t WHAT? Inspirational Gifts today!

[zstore contributorhandle=”girlscantwhat” productlineid=”196640464906808060″ showhowmany=”8″]

313 comments

  • I agree with those who say the term is dated. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m offended when I hear someone use the word ‘gal’, but I do find myself irritated by it. This interesting exchange of ideas and opinions on the subject has me questioning why I find it so. I think for me, it seems to come down to how one feels respected, whether personally, or on behalf of one’s ‘tribe’ – in this instance, ‘gender’. I find ‘woman / women’ respectfully descriptive – we all grew from girls to women and paid our dues along the way. The term ‘gal / gals’ feels condescending when it comes from men (even though I acknowledge it usually isn’t their intention); and when women say it, it sounds ‘out of touch with her sisterhood’. Just some food for thought.

  • Henry Lewis

    Hey,
    I think that gal is a good term to refer to a woman . It’s not disrespectful and not as formal as lady usually is.

  • Evan W.

    Okay, someone referred to slavery as being “a million years ago,” and several other people have referred to having met people who “were around during slavery” or otherwise implied they remember slavery first hand. Slavery ended in the United States 157 years ago. That’s NOT all that long in historical terms. The wounds left behind are still very raw to a lot of people, and its affect on our culture is still very prevalent. That said, some older people may have had grandparents who were slaves and told them about it, but no one alive today actually remembers being a slave. You’d have to be over 157 years old. No one is THAT old. It was recent enough that there’s no need to exaggerate how recent it was by trying to suggest people still remember actually being a slave.

    As for gal, it sounds like it has a variety of differing cultural anchors, and would naturally be taken differently by people from different places. If one point of origin for it is really a cockney pronunciation of girl (as one user stated) and it became offensive due it’s usage in the Southern US, than I imagine it’s quite likely still common and accepted in most of the UK.

    Clearly, it’s a bad idea to use it to refer to black women in the same as boy for black men. I’d wager to say it’s also a bad idea to use it in the South in general. If, for some reason, you thought it would be acceptable and you felt the need to use it and offended someone, than just apologize and don’t use it around that person anymore. I’m happy to accept that premise with any word. Some people are offended by things that other people aren’t. I consider myself a gamer and it’s hard for me to imagine a reason why anyone would be offended by the term, but if I called someone a gamer and they said they didn’t like that, then I just wouldn’t call them that again. Seems fairly simple.

    THAT being said, I would NEVER refer to someone directly as “gal” in place of their name, for the same reason I wouldn’t call a woman “chick” or “girl.” I wouldn’t even say “girl” to an actual little girl that way. Picture it for a second, say you need to get the attention of some 12 year old girl you don’t know to ask directions (assume she’s the only one around) and you say, “Hey, girl, do you know where the highway is?” Doesn’t that just sound … odd to you? Like a character out of an old movie? Who talks that way? Personally, I am mostly familiar with the term gal in the exact phrase, “Me and my gal pals are going to [INSERT NAME OF ACTIVITY] tonight,” used by an adult woman to refer to her group of female friends collectively, and I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever heard it used on TV. It’s actually hard for me to imagine anyone using that term seriously in real life as anything other than a joking reference to its use on TV.

    For the record, I ended up here because I was wanting to have the narration in a story I’m working on say, “Were she a more avid horror fan, like yourself, she too might already have guessed the ring was cursed. Unfortunately for her, she was more of a rom-com sorta gal.” I was suspicious that I’d heard it might be offensive these days, and I wanted to double check. At this point, I would categorize the word’s use as “risky,” and as a hopeful writer, I don’t consider it worth the risk for the vaguely colloquial tone I had been hoping to achieve. I might say “girl” though, because frankly “rom-com sorta woman” and “rom-com sorta lady” just sound sort of disjointed. Neither is casual enough to be paired with the abbreviation rom-com or the overall humorous nature of the statement. Hmm, maybe I’ll just say “rom-com fan.”

  • T. Thompson

    The terms boy and gal were used by slave masters, so yes, it is offensive still to african americans. Gal is a word used as racist noun to denigrate Black women. Contrast with boy used to denigrate Black men. These terms were used to indicate the common thinking that slaves were like children and could never intellectually mature as adults.

  • Todd todd

    When emitt till was lynched and murdered by white racist people was he playing the victim or was he a direct victim of a lynching of a BLK person. It’s very clear to answer that question. And yes I’m all for reparations for black people in this country not the immigrant blacks that come here cause they basically don’t understand nor do care. I can list a lot of reasons and example as to why I feel that way but I don’t have to to a racist people such as white people and yes this is a racist nation which racism will be it’s down fall.

  • When I see the term “gal” used by men on dating websites….. HARD PASS.

  • I have lived in the North and the South. I have learned that the vernacular is quite different, and “gal” is a more common term in the South. However, it does have a racial connotation. Not as much as the “n” word, but it is still there. It is a slang term like “mammy” or “chile”, and is as offensive as “bless your little heart”, which also means something much different than the way it sounds. Once you know that certain terms can be offensive to some people, it is socially responsible to avoid them. It is further offensive for the offender to be offended by those who they offend instead of trying to have an understanding. It costs nothing to be kind, and it’s not at all difficult. Just don’t use it, or be offensive. Your choice.

    • Depending on the contest, it shouldnt be offensive. The reputation of the word “gal” was ruined, and i wish i lived in a world where it was used properly. You know, as the female word for guy.

  • Below is a definition for the word that I found online. I have been called that word before and I felt it was being used in a negatively. Although, I didn’t comment, I never went back to that location again.
    gal
    gal is a racist term that was used by white men to call black women back in slavery. it shouldn’t be used by anyone, especially not white or any other non-black people.
    white man: “I heard your gal was a whore sexing everyone but you”
    black man: “yo bitch ass honkey, I heard yo ass was whooped by yo own racist bitch made whip…get yo ass outta here coz you be dead mahfucka”
    #gal#girl#gurl#gel#gul#gol
    by Koo J December 13, 2005

  • orcallmeMenkillalol

    Hello, I am not a english speaker but for me “gal” sounds like an insult, most words for women are sadly really bad…

    I would address a girl and women rather with Hello Ms. or Hello Madam. or just call her by her last name.
    In german (my motherlanguage) I can without to insult girls and women say, Hallo Frau, …
    “Frau” doesnt even hang to a man. Thats really nice.

    btw. I am a woman (womyn womxn ;D) too and would like if someone call me “junge Dame” (engl. young lady).
    This sounds not really rude. More like “junger Herr” (young gentleman).
    Has a nice feeling of high society.

cowgirl

Sign up to receive inspiration and special offers on Girls Can't WHAT? gifts. It's Free!

Please enter your name.
Please enter a valid email address.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.