When Is She Too Old To Be A Chick?

[Vercingetorix]

I'm 57 and this burning question has been gnawing at me for decades: when is a girl/woman too old to be referred to as a "chick"?

For instance, this is a chick:



as is this:


This is not:


Brits refer to young ladies as "birds", so Americans are not alone in our ornithological reference.

Second, is the term diminutive or even derogatory?

[fire diver]

I've never used the term "chick" so all I can do is offer a vague guess of "over 28". Why 28? Because that's the birthday my wife has been celebrating for almost a deacade.

[gNats]

Hmmmm....

Let's see.... I think first you need appropriate definitions.

Chick - puberty to puts up with you looking at other chicks.
Hen - Will peck yer eyes out for looking at chicks
Harpe - Will peck your eyes out and rip out your internal organs for looking at chicks.

So, I suggest you you look at a chick when in the company of a female and determine which reponse is used. While you are at it, ask the female her age so you can then apply an age to the definition.

If you call a female a chick who hasn't reached puberty yet, well, we have other definitions for that.

[snagel]

I actually had this conversation with a close female friend once. Not sure how accurate her thoughts are for everybody, but this is what she told me (she was in her early 20's, so that may be important)

Chick - She actually didn't mind being called a "chick". She felt flattered as long as it wasn't used too much, "Hey, we are chicks". In her mind it meant that she was good looking.

Babe - She actually hated being called this because she took it very sexual. It really grossed her out if somebody she didn't know called her "babe".

Pretty Young Thing - She hated this, very demeaning - slammed her for being young and for being a girl. Took it as she could only do one thing and that was be "pretty".

Blonde - (she was actually very blond, but not naturally) She actually liked this as long as it was used in a mean way. In her eyes, she used this as an advantage - if people treated her like "a blonde" they were amazed when she actually had a thought.

Hot - She loved being referred to as being "hot". This placed her above the average girl that was just "pretty".

So, here you go. I still don't get it all, but I'm a man and these type of things still confuse me.

Snagel

[Flatliner]

"Babe" was sexual but "Hot" wasn't?

[snagel]

What can I say, I don't understand this new generation either. The other day my wife was talking about how she is turning 41 on Sunday. Of course, I had to chime in that it's time to get a 20 and 21 year old. She quickly replied, "You wouldn't be able to talk to them...they speak a whole new language". (But, it would be fun learning until I came back down to earth)

Snagel

[SEMO Scuba]

Guys, most of us are old enough to know we will never understand how these lovely ladies think. I have given up trying. In my mind if a girl/woman is thought of as a chick, babe, pretty young thing, or hot, all would suggest that she is nice looking and all would all be better than being thought of as blond. We'll never understand how their clock ticks, just know that it does and try not to wind it incorrectly!

[neugierig]

Originally Posted by gNats

Hmmmm....

Let's see.... I think first you need appropriate definitions.

Chick - puberty to puts up with you looking at other chicks.
Hen - Will peck yer eyes out for looking at chicks
Harpe - Will peck your eyes out and rip out your internal organs for looking at chicks.

So, I suggest you you look at a chick when in the company of a female and determine which reponse is used. While you are at it, ask the female her age so you can then apply an age to the definition.

If you call a female a chick who hasn't reached puberty yet, well, we have other definitions for that.

thanks, had a nice laugh when i read this

[Splitlip]

As long as a woman is younger than my Mom, I can still slip and say "chick".

"Chicks Rule!"

(only Rick would would lay up at night thinking about this stuff)

[plot]

as a young guy, i refer to all females as "chicks"... with the exception of children.

calling a chick a "woman" just sounds weird. saying "female" sounds geeky. i'd say the next step up is "lady" for anyone that's obviously a grandma. anything below like 7 on the wrinkle scale gets thrown in the "chick" catagory in my mind, so... anyone under like the age of 60.