Is it time we finally said ‘au revoir’ to the Mademoiselle?

Published: Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Slapper, tart, floozy -- there are any number of derogatory words for women that could earn someone a stinging jaw. Until now, though, 'Mademoiselle' was unlikely to be one of them.

Coming from a Frenchman, the retro term is likely to leave Irish women wobbly at the knees -- suggesting that she's young and attractive. Back home in France, however, old-fashioned attempts to charm could soon be met with the opposite reaction after feminists there have called for the word to be banned.

Two separate women's groups, Osez le Feminisme (Dare Feminism) and Les Chiennes de Garde (Guard Bitches), want the Gallic word for 'Miss' guillotined from the official French dictionary on the grounds that it's sexist -- as it stems from the old word for 'virgin'.

While French men are known simply as 'Monsieur' (Mister) throughout their lives, women there are traditionally referred to as 'Mademoiselle' (Miss) or 'Madame' (Mrs) depending on whether they're single or hitched. "

Click here to read the full article including comments from NWCI CEO, Susan McKay....