Have you ever overheard people talking about you?

I retrained as a teacher in my 30’s and my first job was for 1 term of an accounts evening class. Mid term, 10 minutes before the class started a man walked in and asked for everyone’s attention. He then explained how the current teacher was about to be replaced as a lady who had been on long term sick was about to come back to work and was being given my job. I asked if she was qualified in accounting and he said she was a geography teacher. After a few more minutes extolling the virtues of my replacement he said “I’d better leave before she gets here” and i replied “I already am here”. Hilariously, he got into such a flap he ended up falling off the wheelie chair he was sitting on.

Honestly OP if those are the only nasty things they can think of to say about you, you must be a lovely person. Some people are just like that.

With that said I have definitely walked into a room at work and one of the staff has muttered to the other 'Wait, NurseryNurse10 is back' so very aware I get gossiped about in some form.

As a shy childcare student, I used to overhear some comments about how shy I was etc which just made it worse. To be honest, most horrible words have come back to me via someone else. So called friends would tell me horrible things someone said or kids would repeat back something that their parent had said about me 😔

Well handled.

In work I once walked past someone's open door, and they were really slagging me off for something that had definitely been annoying but also unavoidable.

I emailed "Your voice really carries when your door is open, you never know who might overhear you."

She never mentioned it, and nor did I, but she's been nothing but pleasant ever since.

I was given a bit of a hard time by other girls at college who were meant to be my friends. They would go quiet when I walked in the room and I knew they were talking about me. Around the time I had started doing modelling and my photo was in a lad's mag. I walked in the room to them with the magazine out, saying that I looked fat and ugly in the photos. They got more and more toxic about me and I was so glad to leave college. I never kept in touch with them again after that.
Then a few years later, I bumped into one of them in a bar, with my boyfriend at the time. I told her I was pregnant and we chatted for a bit. Then a few nights later, I got a call off a random number. It was a girl screaming that I had slept with her boyfriend and I was a disgusting cheat. I asked his name and I'd never heard of him. I never found out who it was, but have a feeling it was her.

There is one occasion that’s always stuck in my head. My husband bought me a spa day pass for my birthday one year - I fell pregnant a month later. I decided to use the voucher as a pregnancy treat at around 6/7 months pregnant after confirming they could adapt it. I went on my own as no one around to go that day and it was quite an expensive place - I didn’t mind as it was just a lovely relaxing day,

I was in the pool between treatments and there were two women in there who asked me when I was due etc. we talked for maybe 3/4 mins.

I went for my next treatment and as I came out, walking along feeling nice and content I realised I was walking directly behind the same two women as they were clearly just leaving the pool area. I heard one say to the other how sad it was that I was here on my own and that I didn’t have any friends to come with me. I don’t think they were being nasty, but with pregnancy hormones etc it really upset me and what had been nice just made me feel sad that I was there on my own.

That was 18 and a bit years ago now, but I do still feel a little wave of sadness when I think about it. So strange!

A couple of years ago I took my horse showjumping. I’m middle aged and my horse had this thing where in the first class she would practically refuse every fence but I’d get her over it, but I knew in the second class (a bigger course) she would fly round like a bullet. I remember coming out feeling pretty rubbish with all the hot shot younger women under a tree with their horses discussing how all three would come first, second and third place again and saying I wasn’t even in the running for a 6th place at all.

I was quite hurt, on my own but leant down and whispered to my horse ‘you’ve got this…I believe in you,’ and patted her neck.

We went into the the class speeding round and clearing every fence. She was magnificent and I smiled when we took first place and said well done to them as they looked on at us in disbelief.

I’ve no idea why my horse did that competing. It was like I’d brought her twin out…as long as I could bear the embarrassment of the first round I always knew she would do well.

It did give me great satisfaction though that day.

I work in a very 'catty' environment where there are 41 members of staff, 40 of which are female... I have heard people taking about me and have had friends tell me what other members of staff have said about me, what's been said is ALWAYS a reflection of their insecurities as opposed to anything I've actually done. 🤣 old women who stay in jobs and positions for too long basically and do not like new people coming in, doing a better job and changing, for the better, the way things work. I genuinely do not care, these are jealous women with a lack of education, because if they had any, they would not say such bitchy, unnecessary things 🤷‍♀️ when people say unkind things, it's a sign of their poor characters and not a reflection of the person they're aimed at.

Yes, after a lengthy stay in hospital with my chronic life long illness I heard my SIL slagging me off afterwards to somebody else saying she thought I was faking it. If only I was.

When I was about 15 I had to go with my sister whilst she was at college, we were going somewhere after, she had to attend one lesson.
Whilst I waited for her I sat in the common room doing homework 2 girls came in and sat down. We were the only 3 in the room

They then spent the next hour or so completing slagging my sister off saying some really nasty things, really going to town.

Being the good little sister I sat quietly and took notes 
After the lesson my sister comes into the common room with about 30 other people and introduces me as her sister to these girls. The look of panic on their faces was fantastic, I smiled sweetly at them and then presented a comprehensive set of notes to my sister with all the things these girls had said.

The fall out was amazing, I was declared the best sister ever by all my sisters classmates!

Didn't overhear, but walked in to the room I work in and my colleagues stopped talking abruptly. Three times that happened in one day

Fantastic work, my only criticism is you should have nicked any booze as well! 👏

Oh my days. This is savage and I'm here for it!! Amazing 😆

My MIL slagged me off in an email to her friend - saying I was the worst daughter in law in the world, her son (my husband) was only with me for our daughter’s sake. The list was endless. It really hurt me as I really liked her. It turned out all the daughter in laws had received the same treatment to apparently I was always going to get it worse as I had married the youngest son.

Shes okay with me now, I am okay with her. I don’t trust her though because of what she did and me and my husband have been together for 21 years and married 16 so we have always had the last laugh.

Why do you believe they were jealous?

I worked in an office 10 minutes' walk from home. My husband worked 10 minutes' walk further away. Weren't we lucky? Most people dream of a commute like that.

We'd both finish at 6pm so I'd wait for him to get to me because why would I want to go home to an empty house when there were always people hanging around in the office chatting or finishing work? By the time he got out the door of his place he'd get to me at about 6.30pm and we'd go home or stop off for a drink.

I didn't think anything of this until one evening when Reception rang my phone to tell me he was waiting for me as usual. I said goodbye to everyone and left. I got to the lifts and realised I'd forgotten my umbrella.

I let myself back into the office with my security card to hear the most popular guy in the office, a real public school type and joker a bit like Boris Johnson, braying: "I can just picture Limited and Mr Limited holding hands together every night..."

He had his back to me and I stood looking at his audience while they went: "Oh fuck!" in their heads and he carried on with how pathetic we were.

I said: "Hi everyone. I've just come back for my brolly. Which one of you wants to go for a drink with this bitter functioning alcoholic?"

He was going on about how I'd misunderstood and he'd dropped some pictures on the floor (it was a newspaper office and we used physical prints of pictures) but that excuse wouldn't fool a child. I left and said nothing to my husband.

Not a word was said the next morning or ever afterwards. I always suspected he was a weapons grade cunt. And envious of people with happy relationships.

Not about me but I overheard my auntie talking to my mum about her DS, (my cousin) she said "the little shit, you know I never wanted him" it was said in all seriousness and not a joke, it was such a contrast as my auntie appeared a very caring, lady before that. My DSIS heard it too and we never felt the same about her after that. Her DS was about 3 at the time, and I was about 8.

I don't know, none of these sound particularly bad. Is it possible you were being very dramatic when your foot got trodden on? Maybe the red hair looked horrible, or you regretted doing it last time and they anticipated a rerun.
I don't think it's necessarily wrong to talk about someone when (you think) they're not there. I prefer to think of it the other way round, that they didn't say stuff to your face because it might be hurtful
Oh friend, I'm going to dye my hair tonight. Here's the colour
Er red again....bit like the last one...OK
(thinks its repulsive).

I've heard lots of things said about me behind my back, but with the insults i've not heard before I usually laugh say thats a good one and i'm stealing that and oh High 5 with my hand in the air......omg the look of utter astonshment on their faces is so worth it. Yes what they are say hurts but i'll be damned if i'm gonna let them know that.

Client slagged me off as they were walking along a corridor towards an elevator I was in. They then saw me in the lift and obviously realised that I had overheard them. The very slow lift ride down together was awkward for them, hilarious for me as I had nothing to feel guilty about and knew they were in the wrong with their complaints they were airing.

Yes, quite a few. The first time I remember, it was housemates slagging me off. I went into complete shock, shaking, etc. I had no idea they felt that way about me. I had to let them know I had heard, but I could hardly speak to tell them, I was so shocked.

A few more events like that, and I gave up on friendships.

Yes
I have no regrets-they deserved it

You nicked the cake?