I just used the term underage girl while writing about the Epstein Files. It bothered me as I felt it was redundant. A girl, by the very meaning of the word, is underage. Girl is sufficient. Right?

I think this is due to the fact that, in the past, girl was used to describe young women. So if I said girl, people might think I was talking about an adult and not someone who was underage.

I debated this for quite some time before I opted for underage girl. I just think it more clearly describes who I was talking about.

But am I wrong?