You can call yourself or be called whatever you want but not all countries see it in the same manner or maybe only certain women.

This is something I see mostly from the USA. Here in the UK when my wife and her pals get together they say they're going out with the girls. So I don't get why it's offensive?

I got pulled up on this by an editor in one of my novels (US Based) and she changed it throughout the book, her argument was to make it more widely available readership wise. I went through and changed it back in many instances. I know my characters as Thai, Chinese and African women they call each other Girls or Ladies but definitely not women.

It might be a cultural thing in the USA, but it certainly isn't here or everywhere.