In my early 30s, I went from “miss” to “ma’am” in an instant when addressed that way at the supermarket. Technically, the incident at the supermarket wasn’t the first time I had been called “ma’am.” When I was in middle school, I also worked at our family’s banh mi sandwich shop. In my mid-40s, I’ve even come to embrace “ma’am.” I don’t think much of wrinkles and graying hair but more of civility and respect. Yet, just as I’ve come to this peace, I’ve been introduced to a whole new way of using the title. The freshmen, or plebes, are required to address all female officers and female upperclassmen as “ma’am” — sometimes twice in a reply that is known as the ma’am sandwich, “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” Answering for any perceived transgression may call for the double sandwich, “Ma’am, ma’am, yes ma’am, ma’am.” For female upperclassmen, the title is earned after an intense year of training; “ma’am” is shorthand for skills and knowledge gained through hardship and discipline.

Source: Washington Post April 06, 2019 15:11 UTC