I don’t get that connotation 
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Really? Maybe it’s because we avoid using it at work (in our charity info) because it’s seen as patronising or ageing (not saying Milan meant it like that, obviously). So it’s on my radar. It does sound old to me too though - I prefer ‘girl’ (oops, that autocorrected as ‘gorilla’ at first). Come to think of it, I don’t massively like ‘woman’ either.
Maybe I’m just a weirdo.
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It was just another ordinary day. I was stuck in my office waiting for a customer to show up. Any customer would do, even one of those creeps who want me to keep tabs on their wives. I kept the single window closed that day, the smoke locked inside with me as the rain happily pitter-pattered. A knock on the door coincided with a lightning strike, disturbing my reveries. Enter! I called out. In walked one of the most gorgeous dames I’d ever seen. I played it cool. What do you want, lady?
I’m not 80, you irreverent Gffp. This is your office, isn’t it? Are you a PI or will you continue leering at me like a schoolboy who’s still wet behind the ears? And what kind of name is that, anyway? Are you too lazy to put in any syllables?
You may not look it, lady, but you sound like you’re 80 alright. Quit your yammering and tell me what you want. That shut her up. For a second I thought she was going to walk out, but then she started talking. And quite a story it was…
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Is that a quote from something? It sounds very noir but I can’t place it…
Just a gorilla. 
lol no, that’s just a sketch of what I associate with words like lady and dame.
Ohh, obviously got the tone right then 
I’m not that keen on “girl”, for some reason.
In the past (until last year, perhaps), people I’ve met for the first time - often on trains - have often thought I’m younger than I actually am. Even, a few times, I’ve had “so which secondary school do you go to?” 
However, recently I’ve had a few experiences where I’ve been referred to as a “lady”. For example, a mother told her child something like, “could you stand behind the lady in the queue?”. And that felt nice.
It was also a nice feeling when I was talking to someone on a train, and they asked me, “so what do you do for a living?” 
I think it was the most extreme cases of people getting my age wrong, and having matured a lot through university, that made me not want to be mistaken for an 18-year-old (in most recent cases) 
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A very entertaining story! I kinda wanna know what happens next…
As for me, I associate the word “dame” with panto dames 
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That’s interesting. I guess maybe mine stems from the opposite - I want to be seen as young! Though maybe not school age…
Makes me think of musicals like Guys and Dolls 
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Yesterday at the train station: are you younger than 26? 
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All right, what spin on noir will it be?
- supernatural
- sci-fi
- rats
0
voters
Back on-topic:
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? Did someone ask you that?
I see @Sushi is about to explain.
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That’s why you’re always a lady to me!
(no offence)
Ah! Good guess on my behalf then!
*mental note: Kate-girl, Katie-Lady * 
that rhymes!
Oh, and in Dutch “dame” = lady (unlike in English)
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no, still catching up…
but related to this… these days I get estimated 10 years younger than I am which is the same age as they estimated me once 15 years ago.
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I don’t think I’ve been estimated as older than I am since I was around 20 years old.
Except by https://how-old.net
The bastard just pegged me at 36!
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HA! Still 36 is better than 34…
BTW, 26 seems to be such an odd number too for asking if you’re not older than… Unless it was the train ticket inspector suspecting you to be too old to use a youth ticket.
That’s why I was confused.
Quoi?
Nah, I bought a ticket at the counter.