Hey Dollface, I ain't no mam, kiddo.

I was walking to French class the other day, at 8:30 in the morning. I was coming from the hospital where I work as a temp administrative assistant. I was dressed in business attire, and wore my hospital id badge around my neck as I walked. As I neared the building, Philips Hall where language classes are held, I heard a voice call out "Mam, mam,...um...mam."
I would have thought nothing of such spoken words, if it weren't for the lack of people out and about at 8:30 am near this part of campus. Still, I didn't assume the voice was addressing me. After all heading to a college level French class didn't make me suspect I was the object of such 'mam-ing'.
When the girl finally caught up with me and made a frantic gesture to get my attention, I realized she had, in fact, been expecting me to answer her.
"Do you know where the Union is?" She asked, pretty exasperated.
"Oh, " I replied. Typical freshman, I thought to myself, though I didn't notice a yellow orientation folder peaking out of her belongings. "Do you mean the IMU or the Union bar?"
After all, I am a NATIVE, not just a mam from Iowa City, I know the difference between the two. I've spent time in both places. I quickly realized, while having spent time in both places, I was an official full time undergraduate student the last time I was really in either.
"The IMU" She answered.
"Straight down this hill, it's the pentacrest. At the bottom, the IMU will be off to your right."
"Thanks"
And she bustled off in that direction.
Hah, freshman, I muttered under my breath. I came to the conclusion that this was my moment of realization that I've entered the nebulous area between "miss" and "mam". Come on ladies, you know what I'm talking about. That time when someone lumped you into the "old lady" stereotype. I was sure I was one step away from the hairnet-school-lunch-forty-cats-no-husband bracket according to this barely legal blond.
I also realized, fair is fair, and she was judging me with her "mam" as much as I was judging her with "freshman"
The people that call me mam at the library, do it out of respect for my position as an authority figure and to be polite. Since I was on my way to French class, I mussed about all of the different ways we address each other in any given day. In English, Mam or Sir, just about covers it for anyone over the age of 25 as a "safe" bet. Though be careful of calling a "miss" a "mam" too quickly. It didn't bother me after I sat through my class and ironically we were discussing the idea of "jeune filles" as young girls, "madmoieselle" and "madame". Obviously I figured "mam" originates as a shortened still polite form of madame or madmoieselle mixed together.
Southern Gentleman (to play on another stereotype) often use it, it can't be all that bad after all.
With this sudden heightened interest in what people use to address each other. I had two more interesting experiences this past week.
One of the patrons at my library - a male in his thirties (most likely but who really ever knows) finished off our transaction (me checking out his books to him) with a resounding "Thanks, dollface."
Dollface? *gasp* Isn't that like lingo from the misogynistic men of the 1950's? It caught my attention at least.
Then, at work, a co-worker addressed me with "have a good day, kiddo."
Uh?!? kiddo? So in the same week I'm a mam and a kiddo.
Go figure.