A lot of words and phrases that are used for both men and women are really only male appropriate: mankind, chairman, fireman, etc. However, they are used to describe both men and women. Funny how all "gender neutral" words and phrases are all male related.
I was reading an article (On Language: You Guys by Audrey Bilger) and she discussed this very problem. A few things she wrote that really resonated with me, and summed up the problem with the phrase "you guys" are as follows:
"Calling women 'guys' makes femaleness invisible. It says that man-as in a male person-is still the measure of all things."
"Most of us are familiar with the idea of internalized oppression, the
subtle process by which members of disenfranchised groups come to accept their own lesser status. We need to recognize that accepting 'guys' as a label for girls and women is a particular insidious example of that process."
She also included a quote from Alice Walker that addresses the argument of "lighten up" or "who cares?"
"I see in its use some women's obsequious need to be accepted, at any cost, even at the cost of erasing their own femaleness, and that of other women. Isn't it at least ironic that after so many years of struggle for women's liberation, women should end up calling themselves this?"
Possible alternatives: you all or folks
If you would like to spread the word about this and help inform others who say it, you can print out a small card from www.youall2.freeservers.com. The card has basic information about the problem with the phrase, and can be left at establishments where it is said. For instance, if your server at a restaurant says "you guys" to a group that is not all men, you could leave a card at your table.
