164,000 Women Are Not "Guys"

No matter how many times we proclaim "guys" to be a gender-neutral term

A few weeks ago I—along with 164,000 other women—logged into Zoom to participate in the “White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris” meeting. Kamala Harris had just announced her candidacy to become America’s first female president, and one hundred and sixty four thousand women logged on to show their support.

“Hey guys,” more than one speaker began. To an audience of 164,000 women. 🙄 Seriously. You can’t make this shit up.

No “guys” in sight (screenshot from the call published on reason)

If you’ve known me for more than a minute, you know I hate the expression “hey guys.” Like, with a passion. More than any other word or expression, this one sticks in my craw like nothing else.

It is soooo pervasive—I quite literally hear “guys” dozens of times a day as I jump in and out of meetings. “Hey guys.” “Okay, guys?” Thanks, guys.” “See you later, guys.”

And it’s so easy to change. Some inclusive practices require significant effort, organizational buy-in, and/or money to make an impact. But not so with “guys”—one small tweak to our language and we’re one step closer to dismantling the patriarchy and making our environment inclusive for all.

But Rae, “guys” is a gender neutral term! I had a (cis-gender male) boss tell me this once (and many other colleagues have suggested this since). Ummm….no.

Imagine someone tells you they spent the day hanging with the guys. Or they had an offsite with the guys. Or that after work they went to the club with the guys. Go ahead and imagine … I’ll wait.

How AI imagined “hanging with the guys”

Now tell me—with a straight face—that you imagined them doing these things with anything other than a group of men. I didn’t. AI didn’t. And I’ll bet you didn’t, either.

So let’s just stop using this phrase, shall we? Let’s agree to find and use other, more inclusive language to greet each other en masse. Here are just a few alternatives:

• Hey. Or, Hi. Simple and to the point.

• Good morning (or afternoon), everyone.

• Hey folks. Or, Hi friends.

• Hey team.

• Hi people. Or, Hey peeps.

• Or my own personal favorite, hey y’all. Because unlike “guys,” y’all means all.

As leaders, we have a responsibility to create and nurture an environment where each and every one of our team members can thrive. Ensuring everyone is represented in our language is a great place to start.

Me, wearing one of my new favorite t-shirts. Because y’all means all.

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PS: Wondering about why I titled my blog “Some Guy …” if I dislike “hey guys” so much? Read the reason behind my ironic title here.

Bonus content: Need more convincing, or help convincing others? This video from NowThis Impact offers a great explanation for why we should stop saying “hey guys”: