If it makes you feel any better, Katethegirl, my bosses constantly refer to me as "the girl back there" when they are talking to new students. They don't limit it to me, though. All my adult male students are simply known as "that boy" and any woman is usually "the mom." I realize this is partly due to the fact that my employers have an extraordinarily tough time with names but it's also a pretty clear window into how they are perceiving everyone. On the other hand, I still refer to Paul as my boyfriend, which isn't exactly accurate. But "domestic partner" sounds ridiculous and "partner" makes it seem like a business venture and I'm not subconsciously critiquing his appearance by calling him a "boyfriend," whereas your male colleague mentioning "lovely girl" is more of a loaded statement, although probably unintentional. Anyway. Thesis over.
posted by Jen at 11:12 PM link/comments
