Have I grown a second head without realising?

[Needspace21]

The last few days I have been hanging out alone as ex dp has the dcs over half term.
I've been on country walks, to cafes, to beaches etc., with my dogs. It's been lovely. One issue which has irked me slightly is how some people have really been staring at me. Is it because I'm a shameless 40 something out enjoying myself alone. Is that a crime? One woman in a cafe stared at me the whole time (to the point of ignoring her whole family sitting at the table with her). Another woman looked me up and down with distain when I went in her shop. Another woman scowled at me as I walked down the beach. Have people just got more starey? Do I look odd? What is going on?

I don't notice people on their own minding their own business, and nobody looks at me when I'm on my own. There must be something magnetic about you, op.

[quote Needspace21]@CocaColaTruck1 possibly but didn't realise how starey people can be. Everytime I looked up from my guardian newspaper in the cafe the woman was glaring at me. I didnt know where to look![/quote]
Had you snagged a big table for you and your paper. We once went in somewhere and ordered food whilst one guy and his paper hogged the only big table. So 6 of us huddled round a table for 4.

[quote Needspace21]@Letsallscreamatthesistene in what way? Can you explain?[/quote]
You are over thinking. The woman in the cafe could have been bored and staring into space, the lady on the beach could have got sand or water in her shoe and pulled a face, the woman in the shop could have just had a narky customer. All completely unrelated to you but you decided these people were obsessing over you

I get this sometimes, but it's obviously because I'm so good looking.

[quote Needspace21]@Carolinechanning it was an outdoor cafe in a country park so plenty of dogs there [/quote]
It doesn't matter to people who hate dogs/are allergic to dogs/are scared of dogs. Honestly read the thread that was started in the last few days in AIBU about dogs and you'll see. There's one posted a few times a week, people hate dogs being in public spaces. Even lots of dog owners hate other dogs being in eg dog parks.

@Needspace21

Lol how is a newspaper a stealth boast?

I think maybe because you wouldn't say you were sat reading The Daily Star.

The newspapers people read do have images attached to them of the type of people that read them. So it must mean something to you to tell us you were reading The Guardian.

I was waiting outside of a shop for someone once just staring off into space and a woman asked me 'what the fuck I was staring at stupid bitch'. I just smiled and said oh sorry for making you uncomfortable I just love your coat. I hadn't even noticed her but it seemed like a quick way to diffuse the situation. She just mumbled 'alright, sorry' and walked off.

Are you particularly glamorous/fashionable/attractive?

[quote Needspace21]@CocaColaTruck1 possibly but didn't realise how starey people can be. Everytime I looked up from my guardian newspaper in the cafe the woman was glaring at me. I didnt know where to look![/quote]
People can be starey.

We once ate a whole meal with the woman at the next table staring at us! I do wish I’d asked her if we could help her with something but it was all just really awkward & uncomfortable. DS was only around 14 & feeling very self conscious. She never took her eyes of us.
We were obviously more interesting than her 2 dining companions.

You say the woman glared -I have bitchy resting face so, unless I plaster a smile on, I look like I’m glaring. Could it have been this?

Maybe they were all wondering why you were looking at them?

You're reading far too much into how complete strangers react to you.

No way did someone look you up and down with distain because you walked into her shop; it's what she expects people to do.
Unless you walked dogshit in?

It’s really unkind to tell the OP she’s imagining it. If people aren’t looking at you why would you think they are?

I agree with the PP who thinks the woman in the cafe was probably reading OP’s newspaper!

Do you look like someone who has been in the news recently?

I call this "the weirdness". Happens every now and then. I hate it.

Stealth boast alert! Why is the name of your newspaper relevant OP.

What? This makes no sense.

I have never in my life come across anyone of the opinion that women in their 40s shouldn’t be out alone - in shops, cafes or having fun. It’s not even a thing.

You’re either a little paranoid, or they’re annoyed by your dogs.

Well, you're either stunningly attractive with a superstar enigma, or a bit paranoid.

Are you Katie Price?

I have days like that. I choose to believe it's because we're in a simulation and characters are glitchy. Makes for a more enjoyable type of paranoia.

As I tell my ds.

You can only know someone is staring intently at you if you are staring intently at them!

@SunShinesBrightly

You seem very aware of the people around you. I too wonder if you yourself are looking at people and they are actually just staring back.

It’s that op.

I've had this my whole life, since about age 11 and Ive never figured it out. Im nearly 40, a mam to 2 dc and husband, happens when I'm with my family, friends or alone. Everyone I'm with notices it too, so I would hesitate to tell you its all in your head. Its certainly not with me. It seems to me that its nearly always been women who are either about my age or a bit older, my peers. My mam used to say it was envy.

if she was the same age as you or younger, [you should have] gone up to her and said 'I thought I recognised you - you were my old headmistress weren't you!'

You think a woman looked at you with distain because you went into the shop on your own?

You think she never sees women, of a similar age on their own?

Either you are paranoid or there was another reason people were staring like a dirty mark on your face or something.

I very much doubt a women sat and constantly stared at you during a meal and no one at her table pointed out she was ignoring everyone to look at you.

Do you really a woman on her own is such an unusual scene?

I remember when I was very overweight thinking people were staring all the time. I now realise most were probably not ot looking at something in my general direction. When you feel self conscious, you think everyone else is paying attention to that thing. Generally, other people don't give shit.

It’s really unkind to tell the OP she’s imagining it.

I don't think it's unkind. She is worrying unnecessarily, and it is kinder to say so than to say "Yeah, they probably were staring at you, because they thought you were a weirdo billy no-mates, going into a cafe on your own." Which would also be nonsense.

Maybe it's jealousy. I've spent nearly two years trapped with three people who seem to constantly want to know what I'm doing, chat to me or ask me what's for eating. If I saw a woman my age out and about on her own, I would be thinking; I wish that were me.