AIBU to dislike being called weird?

[HarryPottersMagicWand]

It pops up every now and again. People, friends really, say I'm weird. I don't particularly like it. It's hardly a compliment.

I don't think I am. I have my little ways, they don't affect anybody in any way but I like to do certain things in a certain way and I'm happy with that. Sometimes I don't even know why they are saying it. One (ex) friend has said it more than once. It makes me reluctant to even say anything at all past superficial chat.

I've got a favorite pen, I avoid large social gatherings, I was ridiculously excited when my big square patchwork ruler arrived, I hate eye contact and I only eat things that are even on the plate (it makes sense in my world and I've tried to explain it to other people when asked but they don't get it) Some say weird and I probably am but in a world of Kardashians someone needs to be Helena Bonham Carter.

I get why you feel like that - I have experienced this myself, I have been called "weird" and I can definitely say that sometimes it is not too pleasant. But try to accept it with a smile and think of it more like being "extraordinary" which is not a bad thing! After all, everyone is weird in their own way and everyone has their own way to do certain things. Don't overthink it too much!

Food not touching is really common. I've only recently realised that I'm similar. Some meals it's fine - beans on toast or jacket potatoes, for a start. But last night we had fish fingers, chips and peas, and I separated the fish from the chips, and pulled the peas out from under the chips into their own little heap. Same with baked beans. DS and I both have the texture/smell thing.

As for the pen thing, yes. At work I have my own box of Bic and no-one gets to borrow. I use one pen till it runs out (or some bugger nicks it) and then get a new one out of the box.

As for music, I have wide-ranging tastes. That's a good thing. Only liking one is what's weird.

My friend was outraged when her colleague told me i was "wired up differently to most people". I was flattered.

Weird is a compliment in this house.

I'd rather be "odd" than one of the sheeple

just smile and say "thanks"

Depends on context, I guess. If it's as an insult then it'd probably bother me. I got called it a lot in high school because I was really into punk/goth/emo and it made me a target.
My best friend calls me things like "weirdo" affectionately though because they know I have interests that are not for everyone. :) That's different.

Listen to the words of Professor Elemental.

Budge up weirdos. I too have had a lifetime of this. 'Wacky' is the one that tips me over the edge.

Mycat I was a goth too! I'm listening The Misson at the moment! That's how I met my dh! A pop song came on at the pub that had a dance floor. It was one that had a set dance to go with it, think macarena. I stormed off the dance floor in disgust, I was into grunge at the time. That's when I bumped into him and we started talking and realised we were both goths! He must be weird too!

I'm 'weird' where I live and work now and perfectly usual in an earlier career and location. I work in a place that is hyper normal though. You have to talk about nails and hoovers or that's it.

According to my UCAS reference, I was "somewhat idiosyncratic"!

I throw people because I'm not sheep like and will do my own thing. At school that made me stand out from the gaggles of girls copying each other and doing everything en masse. I'm also quite cheerful and smiley which makes people nervous.

Apparently some people were bitching at work and called me "crazy". I took it as a compliment. The daft thing is I've not been particularly crazy near them, so that's probably just their reaction to my interesting taste in tights.

Conforming for the sake of it seems horribly dull to me!

Yes I accept my food thing is not entirely mainstream but as it doesn't harm or impact on anyone else, I think it's rude to comment on it. Is it really that odd?

Yes people always seem amazed or amused that I will happily state an opinion that doesn't agree with the crowd. Apparently I'm funny (to some people). Maybe people do think these things but just don't voice them, then I come bumbling along and blurt it out.

There seems to be plenty of us around anyway so we can all keep each other company.

Sometimes people just mean "different to me" when they say "weird".

My Auntie says I am weird as i like things she doesn't.

I am definitely not very weird.

Moss said it best. I'm completely weird. I like it.

Ugh, image fail.

I have had this all my life and actually am a librarian so your one mention of that had me laughing. I embrace it. ASD was just not a thing when I was young. I score really highly on online tests, could just read as a pre school child, notice patterns in stuff, even numbers, remember all telephone numbers even back 40 years. Often find people's emotional reactions just don't match mine, fund people far too emotional especially when the answer is obvious.

We all have our own quirks, but some people do try to suppress these to "fit in" and be a bland, boring "normal" person.

I also have food quirks, in that I do try to keep types of food separate, always eat the veg first. I have particular pens (especially fountain pens).

I've found that I seem to have confused my colleagues, in that they've only jsut found out I have tattoos, and like rock/metal music. Quite a few expressed surprise that I went to Download, as I apparently don't look like a headbanger...... But at least, my colleagues do mean it in a nice way and happily chat about these things with me. Great bunch of people, they are.

Pressed post too soon..

OP, don't worry about being weird, most of us are. And I agree it's sometimes used as a shorthand for "not being like me".

How many times have we seen people posting they have issues with wider family for not doing things the way they'd like them done? There are, unfortunately, a good number of people who don't like others doing stuff in a way different to them, and use terms like weird, quirky, etc in a derogatory way.

I am teaching my DCs to embrace the weird and to respect that others do things differently.

The older I get the more I realise that the ratio of weirdos (inc me) to normaltons is pretty evenly split. It would be a boring world if we were all the same.

I've been called weird, though only ever affectionately (that I can remember anyway!).
Your pen thing is like my cup thing - I have different cups for different drinks. And there are lots of things that I like to be done a certain way, or in a certain order.
I'm quite happy to be weird!

I have a pen called Alan, causes much alarm when he cannot be found in my bag and a middle aged woman and small child are seen rummaging in a large bag squawking "Alan!"
Also they freely admit at work they interview on the days I'm not there to 'allow the new person to get used to me...'

what Ballet said. My colleagues seem to be full of petty judgement

They think I'm a total freak e.g. because I bring my own lunch of leftovers in to work...

I smile and nod but really want to recommend they get out a bit more.

April, I do the laughing thing too! It will be something really random and I'll end up giving myself an asthma attack whilst everyone around me looks slightly bewildered. I am known for having an less than conventional sense of humour but I'm fine with that. I do the texture thing too. If something looks fluffy or soft, there I am stroking it.

I am loving Alan the pen! That is great. And the fact you have to be hidden at work so people can get used to you. 😁 People are learning not to play quizzes with me as I take them quite seriously and I am there to do well, not get bored halfway through and start fart assing around. But that's not weird, I am just more competitive than most people I know.

budge up people we're all 'weird' in this house (3 kids and I) and this is a Good Thing. I have MH issues so there is scope for it to be an insult but I've decided to own it instead! The kids all have their individual idiosyncrasies and I hope that they never feel pressured into conforming when they don't want to (if they want to that is fine of course).

I once asked how DS1 (age 8 at the time) got on at his friends birthday party where he only knew the birthday boy, and there were loads of other kids who were unknown to him.
Me- How was the party? What were the other boys like?
DS1- the party was good but the others were just normal.
Me- Normal- that's a good thing isn't it?
DS1- Nah. Normal is boring (grin)