AIBU to think this lady was nuts? Share your WTF interactions with strangers here

[BarbaraVineFan]

In the park with 4 year old DD today and she became fascinated with a ladybird which she found near the path. We were standing by the side of the path as DD let the ladybird crawl over her arms and hands. A lady went past with a little kid of a similar age and was looking over, so I said 'we've got a ladybird!' (Not sure why really but I felt the need to explain.) Upon which this woman sort of sniggered and went 'ah..,Chlamydia!' And then just...went on her way.

Having googled, I see that apparently ladybirds carry all sorts of STIs, which they transmit to other ladybirds and not humans. So I guess that's what she meant. But at the time I was like 'What the actual fuck?' 😂 Who even says that to a stranger?!

Does anyone have any similar stories of batshit interactions with strangers to share?

OMG what the actual fucking hell is wrong with some men? That's fucking vile.

I'm sure someone will pop along soon though, and tell you it was really funny and it made them laugh, and you 'overreacted'

.

One morning when I was in my early 30s I was on the London Overground on my way to work and I was standing up as there weren't any seats available. A woman sitting near me offered me her seat. I didn't really need a seat so politely said no thank you. I was a bit confused as to why she'd offered it to me but didn't really think much of it other than maybe she was about to get off or something.

Then a few moments later she looked at me earnestly and said in what she probably thought was a kind, discreet way, "Are you pregnant?". I was mortified and really shocked. "No", I said. I was so embarrassed and felt like everyone was looking at me thinking how fat I was. I wanted to tell her how unwise it was to ask someone that but I couldn't even look at her. When I eventually got to work I cried. I knew I was a bit overweight (I was 5'8" and a size 14 at the time) but most of the excess weight was on my bum and thighs, I didn't have a big belly and I really didn't think I looked pregnant! Stupid woman. I'd already told her I didn't need a seat so why even ask me that?

At the risk of becoming one of the WTF strangers... Was she asking about a live fish or a dead fish?! Not that my brain is over thinking this rather than turning itself off and going to sleep.

FFS, so no other nationality in the WORLD has women who have babies with different men?

I don't think I've ever quoted on MN before but I can't pass up the opportunity so see that written twice.

I mean.....gobsmacked! I don't suppose you both worked in sexual health or similar?

😆 And on THAT note, I am off. My bed is calling and I have to be up early tomorrow!

Well we all clearly have different senses of humour as I found that quite funny

Probably not? You sound a bit weird yourself!

My two stories make me look rather bad, but I'll tell them anyway!
On train station, reading a book, in my early 20s. Man comes up and says, ' I bet you wished you looked like HER' pointing at a girl who was blonde and shorter. She, very nicely takes my side and rolls her eyes at him and tells him that she's into women anyway.

In a very long queue at a festival. 4 year old DD bored of waiting, she goes to play close by in grass happily. Tall posh man leans over to me 'You have absolutely no control over that child do you?'. I've thought of so many comebacks to that over the years, it's really bugged me, particularly as she being okay, just didn't want to stand in a queue!

I was waiting for DS to meet me from his tennis lesson a few years ago, on a public footpath. A guy in his 70’s, I am guessing , was walking his collie and had in his hand one of those rubber sling things one uses to throw a ball for a dog. We chatted a short while and as my son approached the older man said goodbye then cheeky! And smacked me smartly on the bum with the sling before walking away. Gobsmacked! Or was it bumsmacked.,..

A complete stranger in a shop to me and my then 6ish month old - "oh wow, he must look so much like his father". As though my baby and I are completely different species or something 😂

It's been 8 years and I'm still not even remotely over it.

(Yes, he does look an awful lot like his father - but that's not the point! The guy had never even seen my husband)

Oh and "I bet it's Fifty Shades of Grey you're reading on your Kindle. You've got that look about you"

I've had something vaguely similar - I have a large birth mark on my neck and one day some random bloke CROSSED THE STREET to come and tell me I should get it looked at by a doctor. Wish I'd had the presence to tell him that he should get his testicles looked at by a doctor because, you know, testicular cancer 🤷‍♀️

Yeah it was a bit gross especially as I was very clearly under 18

I'm sorry... I am the same height/ clothes size as you were and carry all the weight on my middle/ proper pear shape. I got stopped trying to get on a fairly tame rollercoaster to be told pregnant women shouldn't ride. Felt so self conscious the rest of the day (and longer, to be honest)- I know exactly how you felt!

My friend and I were drinking outside in a pub garden watching Morris Dancers, years ago, and the horse came over and bit me on the bum then turned round and galloped off...

She'd probably just sneezed and dribbled - thought she would pass it on to save you from future tena lady needs!

I can't imagine anyone finding the squatting for a piss comment even remotely appropriate in any situation, let alone funny.

Lifelong incontinence was a not uncommon consequence of giving birth, not that long ago. My mother (70's, had me in the 70's) knows women who have it since giving birth in their early 20's as she did. The medical advances came too late for many many women.

Perhaps this lady was one of them and was hoping to help another woman from suffering as she has. Maybe she didnt do it in the right way, but it would have come from a good place if thats what it was.

As for men and their "comments".......my sister had one. She was in a pub waiting for her friend who was delayed due to traffic so started reading her book. Bloke comes over "what are you reading?" (why do they do this?! If we wanted to chat, we wouldnt be fucking reading!) so she said something non commital and he asked if she wanted a drink with him. She said no thanks,, she had a drink and was happy reading. He said he thought reading was boring and women who did were boring as they never wanted to talk to him and he didnt know why. Our code for annoying men who wont fuck off is "I think reading is boring"!

It's probably because she was so spiky when somebody said they would have taken it differently, told them they were fundamentally wrong (rather than just having a different take) and then started accusing people of being men if they didn't agree with her.

I got yelled at the other week by a random woman for letting my dog go up on someone's lawn and pee. It was MY lawn. I also got yelled at by another crazy lady when we first bought the house as it was a "family house". Errr, ok? So who do you think is living in it?!

And finally, the one that will always make me annoyed when I think about it is when I went to the hairdressers for the first time since DC3 was born, hadn't eaten and grabbed a chocolate bar on the way back to the car as that was all that was available. Ugly, fat man decided to tell me "You probably shouldn't eat that. You're fat enough". 4 weeks post partum. And yes, I did get in the car and cry and it still annoys the crap out me, 21 years later, that I didn't just kick him in the balls.

A guy trying to chat me up when I worked in a pub years ago said to me, "You look familiar, were you on Blockbusters"?!!!

Me too - ‘l’m bayleaf, l’m the gardener. l work from early dawn. You'll find me sweeping up the leaves and tidying the lawn’ !!

What a ridiculous question to ask. Head first obviously.

That really made me laugh 😂