I’m at an age in which people are now calling me ma’am on occasion. I hate it. I’ve gotten used to Miss and Ms. and ma’am feels like a terrible demotion.
What’s funny though, is that ma’am would seem to be a shortening of madam and madam, I somehow don’t object to. Madam makes me feel like a queen, worthy of respect, with a hint of power. Ma’am makes me feel like an old lady trying to buy lingerie from a snotty young salesgirl.
The Hamlet Project 