"Hey Buddy"

I'm sorry, do I look like a man to you?  Do I act like a male in your presence? Do I ever refer to myself using masculine nouns such as dude, bud, or man?  Am I in fact your bro? Then why do you insist on referring to me by the aforementioned nicknames?  This is what I don't understand about my male coworkers.  I am a woman.  I am a lady.  I am female and like to be referred to as such.  Is that to much to ask?  "Bud" is my brother's family nickname.  "Buddy" is the name of a man who thinks he is an elf.  "Dude," "man" and "bro" all have female counter-nouns which means they are NOT gender-neutral.  The other day one of the cooks at work came over and placed my breakfast in front of me and said, "Here you go, lady."  I couldn't believe it!  I made a point to walk over to the kitchen to make sure he knew just how flattered and grateful I was to be consciously called a female noun by someone of the male species.  I am proud of who I am as a woman and love to celebrate what makes us women-folk unique.

"Rosie the Riveter" ~ Norman Rockwell 

So, why do I rant?  Because women for centuries have been a part of a "man's world."  Don't worry, I am not a staunch feminist who thinks we should get rid of men all together, but I do see how male dominated our society still is! And the world of theatre, where my passion lies, is certainly no exception to that rule.  Just ask anyone in the business and they will tell you how it is much easier if you are a man, especially as a performer.  So if the odds will be against me for a little while longer (and I am so thankful for all the strides that have been made for female equality!) I would like to make a simple request; references to my person should only include nouns of the female variety.  It's the little things in life.  A great man once instructed me to "carve [my] words and spit them out." I strive to choose my words carefully. Words have meaning, whether or not you think before you say them.