Old woman!

She`s just ignorant,don`t give it/her a second thought kircubbin2000.

How rude. There’s rude people everywhere.
No reflection on you.
Don’t let them make you feel bad about yourself.

I was called an old woman by some kids (12 years old or thereabouts) when I was 32!
And they weren’t even being rude!
One of them was about to ride into me outside the shops:
‘Watch that old woman!’

I was tootling along on my cycle one day when a group of young lads called out ‘Look at granny on her bike’ I was close to getting off and giving them a tongue lashing but carried on as if I hadn’t heard a thing

I don't know about you lot, but I positively embrace my aged (mid-70's) status. Being called "old" doesn't bother me at all. If I were being referred to as "silly old" or "ugly old" or even "miserable old", then I would probably object to the first part, but not the second - which I bear with considerable pride, satisfaction and a smidgen of surprise at having made it thus far...

It's dismissive, and (IMO) rude.

It's not that being old is anything to be ashamed of - it is that someone else is choosing which aspect of your personality/self should define you, and no-one has right to do that (particularly a stranger).

Very rude and totally unnecessary. What’s wrong with just saying ‘someone’? Your age and gender are irrelevant. You were a person requiring service.

I am old, mid seventies, and I am quite happy to be this age but I don't think anyone should use age to describe someone.
Would she have said 'there's a middle aged man at the till'.
As others have said it is rude.

But was the cleaner factually correct? I’m not at all old….I’m only 74!

Charming

Sometimes people aren’t aware they are being rude, or forget!

How is it dismissive? It's a description.

So is 'There's a fat bloke with bad breath and a funny hat at the till', but nobody old say that, would they?

Why not? Because there are things about all of us that may be true but we don't need pointing out. It's about not making people feel bad, is all. (And yes, I know that not everybody sees old age as something that makes them feel bad; but none of us can possibly know who does and who doesn't, so good manners dictates that personal comments are not polite.)

nobody would say that!

It is about the implied significance you are to a word

What if they had said " there's someone at the till, an young / middle aged / blonde/ etc woman/man'" - would that offend anybody

You are giving

I’d like to think I would have said “I am an old woman who is keeping you in a job”, but I’d probably just have kept quiet and thought “how rude!” and just fumed inside.

Surely you’d expect anyone to say ‘there s a lady at the till’ not there’s ‘a fat lady at the till’ ‘a skinny lady at the till’ or ‘an ugly lady at the till’ There’s simply no need to describe her

I m late 70 s and do not consider I m old I don’t feel old and don’t need that added on to any description of me thanks
I m not denying my age just find it totally unnecessary you could say ‘a lady in a blue coat’ if you needed to define your observation

My Mum was very ill in hospital and sleeping most of the time. Another patient’s visitor referred to her as ‘that old woman over there’. I went over and very politely (I am a lady) but firmly told him that ‘that old woman’ was my very sick mother. Not another sound from him.

I wouldn't have been able to bite my tongue Gongoozler I would have have replied in a similar way. Some staff training should be in order I think.

Hithere

It is about the implied significance you are to a word

What if they had said " there's someone at the till, an young / middle aged / blonde/ etc woman/man'" - would that offend anybody

I guess it depends on whether the young/middle aged/blonde etc woman/man was sensitive about the aspect of themselves that the speaker took it upon themselves to choose as an identifier, and good manners dictate that that is not for them (the speaker) to do.

If it were a Question Time audience scenario, and an individual needed to be pointed out in a crowd, it would always be something impersonal that was chosen to do so - 'The woman in the red top' or 'the man in the blue tie'. Fiona Bruce would never say 'the bald man with a big nose', or 'the old dear with the blue rinse', would she?

Doodledog

So is 'There's a fat bloke with bad breath and a funny hat at the till', but nobody old say that, would they?

Why not? Because there are things about all of us that may be true but we don't need pointing out. It's about not making people feel bad, is all. (And yes, I know that not everybody sees old age as something that makes them feel bad; but none of us can possibly know who does and who doesn't, so good manners dictates that personal comments are not polite.)

What is wrong/insulting/abusive about being thought old?

People have no control over their age. They do have control over fatness, bad breath and funny hats.

You could always shock 'em by turning around and saying 'F off with your old!'

I wouldn't myself, but I'd wish I had.

This is the thing: people cannot read your mind how you feel age wise in your brain

I am middle aged but my brain feels like 20 years younger - it doesnt match my exterior and I had to accept it.

Germanshepherdsmum

My Mum was very ill in hospital and sleeping most of the time. Another patient’s visitor referred to her as ‘that old woman over there’. I went over and very politely (I am a lady) but firmly told him that ‘that old woman’ was my very sick mother. Not another sound from him.

But if your mother was that old woman over there why is it wrong to refer to her so? It would only be wrong in my estimation if some actual insult were added too.