It was very common to say this term to young unmarried women, because they were not taken serious at the work place or in society. That is why we must continue to create art for as long as we possibly can to heal, resist, subvert, and give birth to new understandings through it. Under enough duress, it can become a lifeless thing a hollow reinforcement of dominant powers. For example: My neighbors kids call me Annilein (Anne + lein, they even make the "e" at "Anne" to an "i" which is also some ending to make words cute, so they make a cuteness overload with my name) and that is totally fine for me, they are not my business boss or some random adult man on the street that call me Fräulein (Frau + lein, women+lein, small tiny childlike woman). Art is not inherently subversive, and like most things, it is susceptible to corruption.
It is not offensive itself, but it can be if you refer to someone like that.
It depends on how much they go on my nerves with not understanding why "Fräulein" is offensive, I continue calling them "Männlein" as if it was normal.Įdit: the ending -lein makes the word before little, childish, maybe cute, something like that. You can see the wheels spin in their head when they start to make the connection. So I let them finish their speech and then I say: "I agree with you, my dear Männlein." (Männlein is considered extremely disrespectful, it is funny because it implies a very small little man, it is the same term just the male version and the only way they understand what they call me with "Fräulein"), their jaws drop down every time. ("Mein liebes Fräulein." with a bad tone. And I get called this term every now and then. In my country there is a term called "Fräulein" (something like Miss).
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