the fair(er) sex
Females. The term has come to be considered inappropriate due to its emphasis on the physical appearance of women and girls. Did he just say "members of the fairer sex"? I feel like I'm in a Victorian novel.
fair sex
Girls or women, as in Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays. This euphemism uses fair in the sense of "physically beautiful" and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s]