Gender trope discussion from last night

[MineralMan]

16. Guy has been traditionally used for men.

In recent years, it's lost some of that specificity, and people use "you guys" to refer to almost anyone. That probably started as a group reference in mixed groups. Now, I've heard women refer you "you guys" with a group of women.

What I have not heard is the singular "guy" used in reference to individual women. "What a guy!" is not an expression associated with a woman.

"Gals" is the equivalent plural, and was in wide use in the past, particularly in the 1940s. It's not so much used any more, for whatever reason.

"Guys" and "gals" are a blast from the past, really. It's not surprising to hear either used in reference to men and women from people over 50 years old. It's pretty common when used by people over 60 years old.

Using "guys" as an informal plural with any group is now common, especially with people under the age of about 40.

I don't think either was or is ever used as a negative intentionally very often. They may be taken as such by some, but in most cases, they're not intended as terms used to minimize someone. I don't think "guy" is ever taken as that.

All that said, most competent professional writers writing nonfiction use neither of those terms. There are so many gender non-specific terms for use in plural references that there's no need for either word, and they can cause offense. For me, I reserve girl and boy for high school age and lower. Young man or young woman is also suitable for high school age through the 20s. Then, man and woman become the standard nouns. It's the same with plurals. Personally, I detest the use of "male" and "female" when referring to human beings, and never use either. For a plural, "people" is the best formal use, and "folks" comes in if you're trying to be "folksy." There are hundreds of other nouns that can be used for mixed groups, like "residents," "voters," "homeowners," etc. All of those usages come naturally if you are experienced in non-fiction writing.

I'm a guy, by the way, in informal speech.