Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to tell girl on tube that I could see her breast?

66 replies

MrsBertMacklin · 26/05/2013 17:59

DP and I were on the tube today. Quite crowded, so seated apart.

I was sat opposite a girl, who initially, caught my eye because she was dressed and made-up in a very 'ID Magazine' look (haircut which involved an afro, bleached & shaved sections, and a really nice copper & fuschia eye, which I was trying to work out how to do).

Anyway, I noticed after a while that I could see one of her breasts. She was wearing three layered tops and the base layer was sheer. On one side of her chest, she had the other tops worn over her chest but on the other side, only the sheer top was covering her and the other two tops were sitting under her breast.

I could very clearly see her breast through the top. I sat there for a bit wondering whether it was a deliberate part of her look, then decided to have a discreet word, in case her top had slipped down & she hadn't noticed.

Anyway, it was an intentional look; girl was Hmm but not upset or flustered by me mentioning it, so I thought: no harm done, I'd rather have mentioned it than not. But when DP met up with me on the tube platform and asked why I was speaking with her, he said I should have kept quiet and have probably made her feel really self-conscious.

Should I have kept quiet? If it had been abundantly obvious that nipples-out was part of her outfit, I wouldn't have said anything, but I thought it was likely that she didn't know she was flashing..?

OP posts:
LordEmsworth · 26/05/2013 18:01

If she's deliberately showing her boob, I can't believe you mentioning it made her feel self conscious...

Unless of course, it was accidental, and she was brazening it out pretending she'd done it on purpose. I think I'd still rather know than not, though!

OnTheNingNangNong · 26/05/2013 18:01

YANBU. I would have done the same.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 26/05/2013 18:02

She had a sheer top over her breast...it wasn't "nipples out" was it...so YABU.....I went to a flashy opening night once and one of the very hip women there was all tits ahoy...I think it's up to the individual and as the woman on the tube had a layer over her boob, you were wrong to point out that it was see-through.

catgirl1976 · 26/05/2013 18:02

Hmm.

I probably wouldn't have said anything to her as from your description of her look I would have assumed it was deliberate.

That said I will always be eternally grateful for the woman who let me know I had my skirt tucked into my knickers and my huge, stretch-marky, 8.5 months pregnant arse was on full display as I walked down the south bank Blush

HotCrossPun · 26/05/2013 18:03

I wouldn't have said anything.

If you said it really quietly and didn't let anybody else on the tube hear you then YANBU, if other people could overhear then YABU.

specialsubject · 26/05/2013 18:03

all wardrobe malfunctions are far better quietly mentioned - you did the right thing.

it is not conventional to go topless on the tube and I think she was just covering up fashion-victimhood. Anyway, you gave her the choice.

Finola1step · 26/05/2013 18:04

Nope. You did the right thing. If it had been unintentional, you would have saved her some blushes.

Not going to comment on the fact that it was intentional...

Original poster
MrsBertMacklin · 26/05/2013 18:04

Just to clarify, sorry, quite an important point probably... no bra. I could see all of her breast, so not breast hanging out per se, but I could see nipple etc.

OP posts:
NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 26/05/2013 18:05

Special it wasn't a malfunction though.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 26/05/2013 18:05

MrsMacklin.....was the breast covered by a sheer top though? Or bare?

Original poster
MrsBertMacklin · 26/05/2013 18:05

No-one else heard. There was a group of boys next to her when I got on, I waited until they had gone to mention it.

OP posts:
NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 26/05/2013 18:08

So was the breast out to the air? Or was it covered but visible through a see through top??

Original poster
MrsBertMacklin · 26/05/2013 18:09

Neo, was covered with sheer top, similar opacity to this black one

OP posts:
whosiwhatsit · 26/05/2013 18:11

You did the right thing. And I am clearly getting old and past it as I can't imagine showing my breast nipple and all on the tube intentionally. Maybe this is the "new normal" that we'll have to get used to like showing arse cracks has become.

I don't really mind, it's just good to know so I don't go about telling people their cracks are showing or, now, that their breasts are.

Walkacrossthesand · 26/05/2013 18:14

How odd, to deliberately pull your vest tops down under one boob to allow one nipple to be seen through sheer overblouse!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 26/05/2013 18:16

You did a nice thing.

I have to admit that, while it's highly unlikely I'd ever wear something trendy enough to show my boobs, I do deal with that conversation with strangers badly and would probably have said snootily that it was deliberate. Blush

I would have been lying.

I wonder if she was?

ZillionChocolate · 26/05/2013 18:33

I think you did the right thing. I assume you didn't clutch at your pearls when she lied said it was deliberate, so no harm done.

SoleSource · 26/05/2013 18:34

Yanbu
Deliberate or not

Original poster
MrsBertMacklin · 26/05/2013 18:36

No Zillion, no pearl clutching, all power to her if she wants to show off her assets. Also didn't go in for a cheeky honka-honka at any point.

OP posts:
Itchywoolyjumper · 26/05/2013 19:01

I would have said something too.
If that was what she meant to look like I bet she was quite chuffed that her look was so out there someone thought it was a mistake Grin
Also you were kind and discrete so I don't think you were being U at all.
I can't stop singing the first bit "Is it cos I'm cool" by Mousse T now [ear worm]

TattyDevine · 26/05/2013 20:17

I'd have left it, you don't approach Londoners on the tube about ANYTHING Wink

tethersend · 26/05/2013 20:22

You did the right thing.

I still regret not telling the gorgeous girl in the floaty white dress who got off at my stop once that she had a massive skidmark up the back Confused

GibberTheMonkey · 26/05/2013 20:32

I think you did the right thing
Better that it was intentional and she could say so than it not being and no one telling her so she could rectify it.
It's the kind of thing I would do by accident and then discover later and mortified.

pepperpepper · 26/05/2013 20:54

I'm with TattyDevine here. With that sort of outfit I would have assumed it was part of the edgy look. I doubt you made her feel self-conscious though, I expect she just thought 'Oh bless' and had a good laugh with her mates about it.

ZillionChocolate · 27/05/2013 08:56

MrsBertMacklin, I'm impressed by your self restraint!