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Ms., Mrs., Miss?

Asked by occ (4176points) May 15th, 2008

I was recently surprised to hear someone say “the term Ms. is outdated – no one uses it.” Truth be told, most of the formal salutations seem outdated – we are living in an increasingly informal world, and I can’t remember the last time I called anyone “Mr.” (I don’t work in a formal business setting). But most of my friends in their 20s and 30s, if they had to pick a title before their first name, would still use the term Ms. rather than Miss. I have certainly never heard any of my unmarried adult female friends referred to as “Miss so-and-so” – it seems to refer to a young girl – not a professional woman. Personally, I would find it condescending if someone used Miss instead of Ms before my name. It’s like they are intentionally trying to emphasize my unmarried status.
What do other flutherites prefer? If you’re comfortable, it would be great if you could add your (approximate) age to your comment, since I think there may be a generational gap regarding these terms…

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