Woman in underwear in own home

Ignore

I think that most women would not want to be seen walking round their house in their underwear.
The inadvertent viewer might feel embarrassed.
Not sure why you think you wouldn’t be seen if you had not curtains up.

I don't think he was trying to make you feel embarrassed or anything op.
Just treat it as a bikini or get curtains, its not worth bad feeling surely?

This.

He was giving you a heads up that somebody will be in an area where they can see inside your window. Since you now have window coverings who cares.

I don't think you are being unreasonable @Alee36. The contractor didn't need to, and bloody well shouldn't, have said anything at all to the neighbour.

Roofers, gutter and window cleaners have seen plenty of people in their underwear and more (or less!). They don't go telling the neighbours.
Had a window cleaner "interrupt" us - just heard a noise and there he was a couple of seconds later. We didn't have a window cleaner so he certainly wasn't expected. He just did his job and was gone in 30 seconds.

the contractor can see through your window

Who'd have thought it?

I would be appreciative if someone let me know if, unknown to me, I could be seen from the outside in my underwear. (Like I'm grateful if a random passer by tells me my skirt is tucked up in my knickers)

Take a look at other things going on in the world and it might not be such an issue. It was a throwaway comment.

YABU. He's likely just mentioning it because he thinks you aren't aware that you're visible, and might be embarrassed to know people can see you? A polite heads up, as a pp said. Probably the contractor felt awkward and didn't want to be accused of perving.

If you're not bothered at being seen, and think it's no big deal, then why are you so angry he mentioned it?

It was obviously a heads up OP.

Won’t you be paying for your half of the guttering job?

I expect most roofing contractors have seen it all

yes you were in your own home but working on the gutters does mean being close up to the windows.
on some level maybe the contractor felt uncomfortable and concerned about possible claims of peeping/voyeurism.
i would take this conversation as a heads up to please dress appropriately for a workman to me working at the window.

I would also assume it was heads up so that if you were upset by the idea you could avoid it. There was probably some judgement involved in the sense that the neighbour assumed you'd be a bit mortified to be seen in just your underwear by someone other than DH, but not much more than that. And that's not an entirely unreasonable assumption in our culture.

It didn’t sound like he was objecting to or commenting on your walking around in your underwear. It sounds like he was giving you a heads up that the contractor can see through your window and you were in your underwear so something to be aware of for next time. I wouldn’t like anyone to see me in my underwear, regardless of how hot it is, and would feel mortified that a contractor was coming, I wasn’t warned and they subsequently saw me in my underwear.

I really can’t see what he has done wrong by letting your DH know.

The man passed on information you might want to know. You were viewed in attire you would not normally wear in public.

There is an expectation of privacy within the walls of our home. The implication is not that you did something wrong. The issue is that you do not have all the information and might choose to make other decisions.

If you don’t want to be viewed in that state, you need to acquire curtains. If you don’t care, you can ignore this information.

Some people would rather not been seen by strangers in their underwear. I would assume it was mentioned in case you hadn’t realised people could see you and might be bothered if you’d known they had. He doesn’t know you don’t care.

You mention that you weren’t right in the window which suggests you had at least thought about how visible you might be to others.

At least now you’re aware and can decide if you’re bothered or not. Maybe thought he was doing you a favour letting you know, don’t shoot the messenger!

I get the ‘in my own home’ thing and walk about in pants myself sometimes but if there was someone cleaning the windows/ guttering and could see in I’d put something on as they can’t help but see in and I’d rather not be seen in my pants by some random guy. Outside at the beach or pool or whatever is different as you’re in public.

You’re obviously not doing anything wrong so crack on as you see fit.

Why is the contractor passing this information onto the neighbours? It’s really nothing to be mentioned, like you say, avert your eyes and get on with the job. The neighbour is probably just mentioning it because she worries you might not want to contractor to see you, particularly given he’s made the point of then telling her. Whatever the case, continue to do what you like in your own home. As someone else said, we’d never make the same kind of issue about a man walking around in boxer shorts!

Did anyone say they were offended, information was passed to you now your'e having a tantrum over it? Why?

The man has made a statement of fact. The contractor said he saw you in your underwear. Unless you're missing stuff from your op he hasn't added any judgment or opinion on that. I'd imagine he's saying it purely to inform you and you can make of it what you will.

The contractor was unreasonable saying it to the neighbour. I don't think the neighbour is unreasonable saying it to your dh- I'm assuming he thinks it would be less awkward to you and him not to have that conversation.

Id stick huge granny pants on and just stare out of your windows - in fact press your nose against the window too!

I get ready in my bra and pants - I will also add that I’m a runner, fairly body comfortable and regularly tend to wear short shorts and crop tops a lot of the time at home anyway - and once went to open our bedroom window at the rear of our house when it was literally heatwave weather.

Neighbour who overlooks back was getting in her car at the same time - similar age to me mid 40s - and was absolutely aghast and literally stopped open mouthed seemingly unable to get into her car without expressing her outrage with her facial expressions, and staring at me like it was the most shocking event on earth - I was tempted to wave at her. Why she felt the need to stare is beyond me - a woman doing that to another woman just feels wrong

If she had been wearing pearls, I have no doubt she would have clutched them!

It’s my house - if I want to get ready in my underwear then provided I’m not parading myself around deliberately at the windows, I will absolutely do what I like

Just carry a large feather fan around with you so you can instantly cover up and gaze suggestively over the top of it

He’d called round about the gutters not this. You can do what you like, but I’d be amused by someone walking around in front of windows in their underwear, male or female, and might well gossip about it to neighbours.

It doesn’t have to be sexist or pervy or pearl-clutchy - just commenting on something that most people don’t do and is a bit ‘Carry On Matron’.