"What can I get you girls?" It's one of the first things my friends and I always hear when we're ordering something in a restaurant or bar. Men of all demographics use the phrase, as do a lot of women. It's become so common that I don't even flinch at it anymore, even if it's something I don't particularly love hearing. If you really think about it, though, addressing a grown-ass woman as a girl is pretty problematic, and it's about time we considered nixing the word from our vocabulary entirely. 

Let's get technical for a second and talk about the definition of "girl." According to Dictionary.com, "girl" means "a female child, from birth to full growth," or "a young, immature woman." That basically rules out most women reading this, since we're adults. Regardless, our society loves tossing around the term "girl," no matter how old the women they're referring to are. We hear it in all kinds of contexts — in songs on the radio, from friends and family, and even at work from our superiors. Most of the time, the term is used endearingly, but that doesn't make it any better. It harbors a larger meaning which reflects just how much our society fails to respect women.

Here are five problems with calling women girls.

1. It Makes Women Into Children

A girl is a person under the age of 18 who still lives with their parents. So when you use that term in reference to a successful woman who has worked hard to get where she is today, you're ignoring her accomplishments and diminishing her maturity. It also implies that she needs to be looked after or taken care of, like a silly tween who needs guidance from her camp counselor.

Keep in mind that the dictionary defines "girl" as "a young, immature woman," so if you constantly hear your boss or partner speaking about you and other women this way, that says a lot about how much they value you — and it isn't right. You don't deserve to be infantilized by anybody, unless you like being called a girl.

2. It Has Creepy Sexual Undertones

When a woman is catcalled on the street by a random guy, the leers tend to be kicked off with some variation of "Hey, girl!" In run-of-the-mill romantic comedies, the protagonist always talks about "getting the girl." Similarly, in the famous (and hilariously accurate) Mad TV skit "Can I Have Your Number," Darrell tries to coax Yvonne into giving him her number by insisting, "Don't be insecure, girl. Work that ponytail!" In other words, men use the term "girl" when they're crudely hitting on women or objectifying them — all while infantilizing them. It also sexualizes actual girls."