confused about 'Love'

Good grief, world realy has gone mad, I use 'my love' when addressing people , even my Tesco delivery chap, and females too

I agree,it will be a very sad world indeed if it becomes unacceptable, political correctness is getting out of hand. In the West Country everyone is ‘ my lover ‘ not literally of course, well maybe!( that bit is a joke )
My OH once said to a female ‘ all right my lover’ to which she rather haughtily replied ‘ my lover you will never be’ to which he replied ‘ thank God for that’ !

This bloke came out of a shop door too quickly and nearly bumped into me. He said 'sorry love'. His fault, his apology, what's to complain about? :-)

'Love' doesn't offend me. I use it myself, sometimes.
Other names irk a bit, depending on who's saying them, but certainly not enough to rant at someone.

Personally, I can’t bring myself to call anyone ‘love’ except members of my immediate family - certainly not total strangers; but I have no objections to being casually called ‘love’ by others. It just goes over my head. It is accepted terminology in this neck of the woods.

annab

I think GN has seen a few threads that show how some people feel using words such as love, Darling upset them and others find it perfectly acceptable, even comforting .

It's getting to the point where saying nowt, doing nowt is the safest option, sad old world isn't it.!

Silly woman.

I think some people just love to be offended - please feel free to call me love, sweetheart, darling, duck

One of the ladies working in our local shop always says "hello young lady" - suits me!

I rather like all these terms. I like being called love. I have been called 'hun' and 'sweet' by younger folks. I like it

A lady working in a charity shop called me "My old cock-a-lora" it made my day, though I don't know what it means or anything.

I am guilty of using Angel
As yet I haven't had any complaints.

I like Pet as used by my parents and grandparents

I love "Hen", my exes daughter used to call me that.

When I lived in Sheffield many years ago some of the men used the term of men and women. All sexes were addressed as 'love'. I don't think it would bother me although it would depend on the context. If the man was using it in a condescending way I would find it offensive.

OTH, I'd find being called 'young lady' very patronising...

Context is everything - I don’t use it in everyday life outside the house and notice its use ( or variants) when I go back up to the North/Midlands. I think it’s usually very clear from the context how it’s beimg used - as Maizie said,it can be used condescendingly just part of everyday normal human interaction in what are basically impersonal interactions. I would never respond negatively in the latter type of situations but in the former.......

Or before just

The last time I was called ‘young lady’ I was with friends of similar age. We just burst out laughing and told the young waiter that he should have gone to Specsavers. It was all vey good natured

In a taxi the other day going the driver asked " young lady, how good is your walking? As there is a quick route if you can walk."
I replied that I could go the route he suggested as could manage the 5 mins stroll.
Thing was he looked as old as I am. And he did save me some money!
Personally I hate being called " Dear". Young person at a garden centre called me Sweetie. Was furious.

Where I live the favoured word is duck, alright duck, thanks duck, even the lady shop assistants say it. Sometimes I think and I am not trying to be controversial that if a man says love to a lesbian they would probably take offence, or an ardent women's libber not pc enough for them ?

I think your OH should have said "Oops, sorry, my mistake. You could never be 'love' to me!"
Some people do rather make it a mission to be offended at every turn . I've little time for them.

So what is sexist about calling anyone 'Love'? It is a gender neutral word. I have been called 'love' by other women as often as by men

As eazybee says, silly woman.

I agree Bathsheba it seems to be thing to do now to find an insult where none was intended.

It is a gender neutral word. I have been called 'love' by other women as often as by men

I think it would only be 'gender neutral if men called other men 'love', Usage towards women and by women doesn't sound entirely neutral to me.

anna I think the person who got upset with your DH possibly hadn’t lived in the northwest for very long, or she would have realised that ‘love’ is a perfectly normal way to address people!

For me, it depends on the age of the person speaking to me.

If someone younger than I calls me Hon or Dear or the like, I find it condescending. However, if they are older than I am, I quite enjoy it.