Ms, Mrs or Miss?

To be honest, I try to avoid using any title at all. It is rarely necessary IMHO.
If it is necessary to use a title, I ask the person their preference.
There is no wrong title if it is the one the individual prefers.
Now, in my family, my mom, wife and adult daughter all think Ms. should be eliminated. So they are Mrs, Mrs, and Miss.
 
As a woman I can say I honestly don't care how I am addressed. Strangers can't possibly know anything about me so unless it is clear they are being condescending then I don't give two bits whether they call me Miss, Ms, Mrs. or even Mam.

This!! I'm from the deep south and actually most of the time it's not even Mrs, Miss, or Ma'am - it's honey, sugar, sweetheart or similar. It's our customs and don't know anyone who gets offended by it - or shouldn't, anyway. All of it is respectful as we were raised that way. Am also called Miss first name with younger friends and acquaintances - love it!
 
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I was in a restaurant tonight in NJ and my server, who was Asian by the way, kept calling me dear. Didn’t bother me at all.
 
I can see where being called Mrs when you're not married could just make you do a double take. In this case though OP I'd let it roll off your shoulders as just something interesting you enountered.

Typically speaking you'd find it probably more common to be just called Ms. or Miss though when there is an unknown. I've been referred to as both before (and I'm married) but like others have notated sometimes verbally there's no noticable difference depending on the accent and/or how one has said it.
 
When I was in High School, I had a French teacher tell me that in France it was an honor for a grown woman to be called Madame (Mrs) instead of Mademoiselle (Miss) even if she was not married. That may be why the OP was called Mrs.

I live in the South (Texas) and most women are referred to as Miss *First Name.
 


I managed to get my Disney reservation in the name of MISS PAULASB12 this year not ms. I really hate being called ms
 
This just reminded me. I got married in Kenya and because of my age at the time (34), I had to classify myself as a “Spinster” on the official paperwork. Ouch. :rotfl:

In Rwanda, they consider youth/young people to be ages 14-35. (Youth are valued there— Ministry of Youth, youth-specific programs, etc.) We were at a large meeting and they asked all the youth to stand. A friend, DH, and I (36) were the only three people to remain seated. We still get teased about being “old people”
 
:lmao:

Don't feel bad. Of late, I make all the vacation reservations and use my cards to pay for it so various people call the man, Mr. my last name. He doesn't bother to correct anyone though since he's really my pool boy......

For some reason on my CVS rewards card (which I haven't used in a few years) I'm Mr. My First Name Wife's Last Name. I actually like it.
 
I have lived in Atlanta for almost 15 years and I am sometimes called Miss Christine. However, this is only done by children, never adults. It has actually grown on me and I think it is kind of cute. This is not a professional greeting and I have never been greeted that way my anyone other than kids.

I much prefer it to ma'am or Mrs. Lastname. I think it is a way of being a bit more formal without being over the top.

I spent the first 35 years of my life in the Midwest (between Chicago, South Bend and 1 year in Detroit) and I have to admit this was not done there and when I first heard it, I thought it was strange. But I am fine when it is used by kids.
 
I love being called Mrs. Lastname. :love: I do not love being called Miss Firstname or ma'am.
 
Hey there, @kaytieeldr , thanks for the video of Miss Jean. Romper bomper stomper boo!

I detest being called "Miss Lee." It sounds so 'Southern Belle' to my New England ears! What I prefer to be called really depends on who is speaking to me. In a 'professional' setting, I prefer to be called Ms. MyLastName, not Mrs.DH'sLastName... although it's kinda funny when someone calls him Mr. MyLastName- or DR. MyLastName! I also worked in an elementary school where I was constantly called/referred to as Miss or Mrs. MyLastName. Weird.

Mostly I prefer to be called by just my first name, although a few of my college-aged students are uncomfortable with that. Most of our friends' children just use my first name. We've lived in neighborhoods where the parents are "Mr & Mrs.' to the neighborhood children, and in some neighborhoods it's all been on a first-name basis (but never "Miss" or "Mr" FirstName).

I think it's sad that folks don't remember the origins of the title "Ms." from the 1970s, when women decided their name shouldn't reflect their marital status.
 
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I have lived in Atlanta for almost 15 years and I am sometimes called Miss Christine. However, this is only done by children, never adults. It has actually grown on me and I think it is kind of cute. This is not a professional greeting and I have never been greeted that way my anyone other than kids.

I much prefer it to ma'am or Mrs. Lastname. I think it is a way of being a bit more formal without being over the top.

I spent the first 35 years of my life in the Midwest (between Chicago, South Bend and 1 year in Detroit) and I have to admit this was not done there and when I first heard it, I thought it was strange. But I am fine when it is used by kids.

Most of my co-workers call me Miss FirstName. I have been an employee of the college the longest of anyone in our department except the VP and she and I started about the same time. While she has earned a new title due to her education, I never went that far. So its a way for them to show respect. At first I kept wanting to stop them but decided just to leave it alone. The students have always called most people in this office by Miss FirstName. I am unsure how it started since they don't do it at the other campus.
 
We've lived in neighborhoods where the parents are "Mr & Mrs.' to the neighborhood children,

I've told this before, pretty sure not in this thread, so: when I was in high school (so around 1970) , the family across the street moved away and a newlywed couple moved in. We called all the original adults in the neighborhood by their first names*, but addressed new people as Mr. and Mrs. ,

Some time in the last ten years, I went to drop off something to my sister but she wasn't home. I couldn't just leave it (raining, house locked), so I went across the street and asked if they could hold it. I naturally still addressed her as Mrs. ___, at which time she asked me to use her first name, as she is only a few years older than me.

Hey there, @kaytieeldr , thanks for the video of Miss Jean. Romper bomper stomper boo!
Oh, hey, did I mention I went to school with Bozo the Clown's niece?

*Except our second grade teacher and her husband.
 
I’m a married woman and don’t mind or take offense to any of the titles (and don’t mind ma’am either). However, I think Ms makes the most sense because it is appropriate in any situation, with no guessing involved. As others have noted, there is no need to identify women by their marital status, when we don’t do it for men.

OP, I don’t believe your experience is typical of American culture. It’s not the same as the southern custom of Miss Firstname, or the southern/military custom of ma’am/sir. Seems like those you encountered were simply misguided in using Mrs. as the default for all adult women. Some people make lots of assumptions, which they shouldn’t. :rolleyes2

IMO, if anyone calls you something other than your preferred form of address, I would politely correct them and move on.
 

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