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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Have you ever overheard people talking about you?

133 replies

Collins567 · 19/07/2023 06:34

It was a previous houseshare. We'd all gone out to a bar and I was wearing open toed heels, another girl accidentally stamped on my foot with her stiletto and wow, that was painful.
She was really apologetic, then I said to my housemate, 'Someone's just stood on me with their heel ' as it was bleeding and so I ran off to the toilets.
The next night I was in my room and I overheard the flatmate of mine talking to her friends. She said 'She came and told me someone stamped on her foot, and I was thinking, well what do you want me to do about it?!"

I don't know, help me maybe? 🤔

On another occasion I dyed my hair quite a bright burgundy colour. I heard her and a male housemate saying 'Why the hell has she dyed her hair red?!". I didn't get it everywhere or anything.

Anyway, never nice to overhear people slagging you off!

OP posts:
FOJN · 19/07/2023 06:51

When I was 17 I heard a colleague say I lacked initiative. I'd been treading carefully for fear of making mistakes but was always waiting for someone to tell me what to do. I stopped being so unsure of myself and got on with doing the job without waiting for direction so overhearing her criticism did me a huge favour.

Eawsr · 19/07/2023 06:51

Ha! This reminds me - I was spoken about (negatively) alot as a child whilst lI was in the room!

Collins567 · 19/07/2023 06:49

Right, but I'm not saying they were ok because apparently everyone does it. I found her particular examples quite spiteful, slagging me off because I dared to tell her that something had just happened? I don't think I'd really be so callous.

OP posts:
electriclight · 19/07/2023 06:47

Not nice but very few people have never talked about another person.

Collins567 · 19/07/2023 06:47

Yes, that sounds like a good idea.
They'd probably deny it anyway or say they meant someone else.

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MelonsOnSaleAgain · 19/07/2023 06:45

Yes, and the trick is to not say anything. Not a word, because you’ll get it wrong. Instead pause, catch their eye, hold their gaze for a moment longer than is comfortable and make a slightly disapproving gesture with your eyebrows, then get in with what you were doing.

that way they know you know, but they also know you’re officially the better person. 🤣

Collins567 · 19/07/2023 06:41

That's so rude of ner!
What a nasty piece of work. Yeah, sometimes you just freeze in the moment out of shock.

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Peverellshire · 19/07/2023 06:40

How to deal with it when you do? One woman was fully imitating me at a Mom coffee morning & in I walked. Ofc you think of a brill response afterwards…