It is not about respecting authority. It is about respecting strangers and using the proper words to describe them.

Since that person is not present, it is best to be as formal as possible.

Call men "a man", call women "a woman", boys "a boy" and girls "a girl". Using words like "babe", "chick", "kiddo" for people you don't know is a blatant lack of respect.

Using "a chick" in the current context is plain wrong to me. It's fine if you know her, but talking about a third-party this way is disrespectful from my point of view.

My issue with this comment has nothing to do with gender or feminism. It is all about the correct use of words when addressing strangers.