this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2023
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Since a lot of women have started to call their female friends "girlfriends", I have to wonder how women with actual girlfriends have been dealing with this lol

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[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 80 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I'm neither a lesbian nor a woman but the word "partner" is pretty universally understood.

[–] theKalash@feddit.ch 44 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Unless they work as a policewoman.

[–] squiblet@kbin.social 10 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I use that to refer to business partners and people have been confused by it.

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[–] catsup@lemmy.one 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah I thought about that one too, but it feels too broad of a term. Partner could be used to refer to a work colleague. And I'd feel really tempted to add "in crime" at the end lol

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[–] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 67 points 2 years ago (4 children)

"This is Jane, we're fucking."

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 26 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Right now?

I clearly don't know how being a lesbian works.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] tegs_terry@feddit.uk 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Just don't ask where the meat comes from.

You see any cows around here?

Spanish...

Rat burger? This is a rat burger?

Pretty good!

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Someone once introduced their gf literally saying "We are in a relationship" - it's sounds awkward/clunky but I didn't even notice that, it didn't make me think for a moment, its precise, short, and above all clear. I appreciate direct communication way more than 'what sounds nice'.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

You lika de clear communication eh?

[–] 0x4E4F 3 points 2 years ago

Can't get nore direct than that 🤣🤣🤣.

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[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 35 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (9 children)

“This is my wife” works real well

For my girlfriend, I mostly just correct people if they’re mistaken. “Oh we’re more than just friends” type statements.

Also fuck is the platonic use of girlfriend back? Dammit

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[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

“This person is my lover Karen”

Just introduce them as your partner. Lesbians are so habitually entrenched in hiding their sexuality.

I have so many pairs of “friends” come in appliance shopping. Gay men come in, it’s “This is my husband Mike”. Gay women come in and it’s like “This is my friend Paula. She helps me pick out appliances and definitely doesn’t live with me”.

I don’t pry, because I’m just selling appliances. But it’s pretty obvious.

[–] Lennnny@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Robert Dyas?

[–] flicker@kbin.social 20 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"Started?" Here in Tennessee we never stopped calling each other girlfriend.

But as others said, "Partner." I use it to talk about my boyfriend (since I'm a well-known demi person locally and the sex of whoever I'm with can be a massive question mark.)

[–] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Was gonna say, women calling each other "girlfriend" when they are in fact simply friends and not dating isn't something new at all.

[–] mom@nom.mom 18 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Since a lot of women have started to call their female friends "girlfriends"

This isn't really a new thing, though... Is it? Or did I miss the era where we didn't use "girlfriend" - at least sometimes - when talking about a female friend?

[–] smort@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yeah my 70 yo aunt has had platonic “girlfriends” for at least 30 years

[–] catsup@lemmy.one 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Oh damn, I thought it was a more recent thing

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

I can tell you’re young because 30 years doesn’t seem recent to you.

When I hear of a 70-year-old woman who’s been doing something for the last 30 years, I read that as a recent cultural change happened.

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 2 years ago

Since a lot of women have started to call their female friends “girlfriends

That was the original meaning of the word before it ever had romantic connotations.

From Wikipedia...

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest meaning of the word "girlfriend", from 1859 on, was to designate "a female friend; esp. a woman's close female friend". In the late 1800s, it took on the meaning of "A female with whom a person has a romantic or sexual relationship".

[–] fhek@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 2 years ago (3 children)

The new way of referring to your SO is “partner”.

So I guess like that?

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] BellaDonna@mujico.org 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This, I still use girlfriend interchangeably for both and it absolutely creates confusion.

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[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I've run into this a few times talking about my Sisters partner.

I just call him her husband now.

[–] livus@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Back before we had marriage equality, Partner became the universal even for husbands and wives, because it's more inclusive.

Now we've got it, but partner just seems to have stuck.

[–] Hello_there@kbin.social 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Lots of handholding and kissing when introducing them?

[–] ani@endlesstalk.org 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

But isn't that something girls do as... just gals being pals?

[–] 0x4E4F 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

In the mouth? Probably not 🤔.

[–] ani@endlesstalk.org 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Are you sure that isn't just girls doing normal girl things?

[–] NoIWontPickaName@kbin.social 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Especially late at night during the sexy pillow fights right?

[–] 0x4E4F 3 points 2 years ago

IDK, or at least I don't think so 😂.

[–] RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm not a lesbian, but I'd probably just say girlfriend and expect people to be able to understand context.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I don't know if it's just a local slang, but most straight girls I know will refer to their close female friends as girlfriends.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

That's almost strictly a straight girl thing. When all your friends are queer or queer-adjacent, it's usually understood what you mean.

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[–] awnery@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

partner is a brilliant word about to made meaningless, apparently, so, love you all, friends, buddies, girlies, girlfriends, boyfriends, beards, compatriots and fellow travelers, fuck i''m old I forgot a few dozen thousand.

share love

[–] Franzia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 years ago
[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Tell everyone that we livk each other's clits three times a day and show them our promise rings.

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