Lady Rebounds

Fio remembers the 1980's, when the brouhaha about the designation "lady" erupted. It was a women's lib thing. "Lady" was considered a linguistic symbol of stereotypical societal expectations of women. Females were not "ladies," but WOMEN. So the signs on the restroom doors changed.

Fast forward thirty years. Now everyone and their perra is a lady. A muscle-bound female athlete, the woman who cleans the toilets, the terrorist, the OctoMom--all are referred to as ladies. Although the designation of "gentleman" was never protested against, it too is applied in ways never originally dreamed of. Fio is especially amused when police officials refer to every "alleged" male perp--from joy rider to mass murderer--as a gentleman.

Language is always changing and endlessly fascinating. That's why Fio is in the business.