Being laughed at on the School Run

[ChoccyBiscuits123]

Okay so I'm going to start by saying I'm not usually bothered by people's behaviour - I'm very much a live and let live person....however...there are two women on the school run that I am just perplexed by.

So for example this morning..I had just dropped my daughter off at school and I'm minding my own business walking home. These two other mums come from around the corner and immediately start laughing directly at me in my face...! They then stifled their giggles and walked past. This is not the first time this has happened.
Once they started singing a Kylie Minogue song at me from the other side of the road laughing and twirling around. All a bit much for me in the morning!!

We're all pretty relaxed dressers on the school run..they wear tracksuits and tie their hair up and I tend to wear leggings and a navy joules coat with miminal make up (mascara and perhaps a red lip if I have the energy) so it's not like I'm going to school in Kylie hot pants or full make up or other crazy clothing.

I'm perplexed as to why they've targeted me as I don't know them at all. It's got to the point where it is upsetting me. Someone laughing in my face or stifling giggles as I walk past is hurtful and it's starting to feel like bullying. Am I being too sensitive? Is my make up or dress sense so awful they cant help but laugh? I am so confused! Esp as they don't seem to do it to anyone else.

I want to ignore it and just put it down to them being muppets but I am struggling now.

I can't confront them as they will probably just see it as hilarious and as they've never actually said anything directly to me they could accuse me of being paranoid.

Any help or advice much appreciated. No nasty comment please.

I'm guessing you are probably attractive and they're...not. They sounds like Sharon and Tracy types lol. Stick a pair of headphones in and and a benign smile on your face and don't make eye contact. They want a reaction from you so don't indulge them.

Ignore them as previous posters have said. Just act as if they're not there and keep doing your usual routine. There's nothing wrong with you, they are nasty and immature. How sad their lives must be to go to the trouble of being mean to someone they don't even know. Don't let them get you down. They'll get bored soon enough

Oh OP. From your last post, it sounds like they were messing round one day in the street, doing Kylie for whatever reason, and your 'WTF' expression from across the street just made them laugh even more. So when they rounded the corner and saw you, it just reminded them of that time. They're not actually laughing AT you. It's just you being there made the Kylie thing in the street more funny, because they were having a laugh, at that time. You have nothing to do with Kylie so why assume it was directed at you?

I would just give them a big, old, grin as I walked past them, like a tiger gnashing its teeth, and keep walking. You can sometimes see models in adverts doing that. It will give you something to focus on, will confuse them, and its not like they can accuse you of being unfriendly or nasty to them.

There was a lady living near me who was diabolically rude to me on several occasions with no reason at all, except I was English apparently, and I can't do much about that. When I saw her the last time I gave her the tiger gnash smile and a 'Hey, how're you doing?' while walking past at top speed. She looked confused, tried to respond based on a vague spluttering sound as I sailed past, but I was gone before she could reply.

Agree with those saying smile and say 'good morning' to them. Bullies look for a reaction. If you don't let them know they are getting to you, they will soon stop - hopefully! Don't confront them - they would love that drama.

When I've had situations like this, I've convinced myself that I REALLY fancy the people in question, and treat them thus. So cheeky winks and flirtatious greetings.

It's DEEPLY DISCONCERTING for them and they become slightly terrified. Very satisfying.

I manage to work full-time in a professional career without a "fresh blow dry, make up and nice clothes". Most of the time I'm in pj bottoms as I often wfh and no one can see my lower half on camera. Perhaps those school mums were reacting to your obvious snobbery and judgement.

What song are they singing? Is there a hint in the name/chorus?

If you don't want to ignore, then I find approaching people like them and asking with a serious face "Is there a problem?" can shut stuff like that down

I used to just give her my biggest smile and pointedly say good morning to her. It confused the hell out of her. @IzzyHandsIsMySpiritAnimal

Love this, have done it myself and it's the confusion that's so brilliant!

What a pair of losers. Stick some headphones in and go about your day. It's presumably going to be way more rewarding than theirs if they need this childish shit for entertainment.

Put ear buds in and ignore them. School mums can be so weird sometimes. I had one who would pull a face and grimace at me when I’d just be saying a friendly good morning in passing. It did make me question myself and wonder what on earth I could have done to illicit such disdain (nothing). I guess I’ll never know even though I still see her around our town (ten odd years later) but I just ignore (still feel uncomfortable walking past her though).

You are not Australian are you? I am and after 19 years in the UK can tell you I have had my fill of people taking the piss out of my accent or quoting Crocodile Dundee at me. 'That's not a file... THAT's a file' etc. Wasn't funny the first time.

But otherwise they sound a bit stupid and mean. And I agree with pp that some women never seem to grow out of the mean teen stage.

This is most likely.

Nothing the op said indicates that their giggling and laughing was aimed at her.

This. If they had started singing the locomotion at me, I might have joined in with them.

This is so toxic. Yes of course they must be ugly, as that's the worst thing a woman can be.

OP - they sound like dicks, completely ignore them.

You only redden 1 lip?

Agree with posters advising you to ignore/stick ear buds in. You don’t know for absolute certain that any of it’s aimed at you so responding to it would be weird. I always find total indifference is the best way to deal with people trying to get attention or be tediously wacky.

Next time you see them just start singing as loud as you can ‘who let the dogs out’. Rinse and repeat every time!

Totally agree that the Kylie thing could've been made more funny for them by my expression, as I do have an expressive face and my WTF would've been very obvious! 😂

Hopefully that's all it is and in time something else will make them amused.

They were being odd around me before the Kylie incident but since then it has escalated to laughing in my face. Before it was looks and side eye. Perhaps they fancy me haha! I am small and blonde but I wouldn't go as far to say I am a Kylie look alike 😆

Thank you to everyone who has replied. You've all made me feel so much better. I was starting to think it was something about me but I do think everyone who has said they're immature and bell ends has hit the nail on the head.

I will try to ignore them as best I can and thank God that I only have a couple of years left of Primary School run!!

They want a reaction. For some reason they have singled you out - it doesn't really matter what the reason is, it could be something as stupid as your shoes. They like to giggle together about 'that weird woman' and they are DESPERATE for you to react or do something to give them even more fuel for their giggling and pointing you out.

So the absolute best thing you can do is absolutely nothing. They want to get inside your head and if they knew you were going home and worrying about what they might think and say about you, they would be ecstatic. So as someone else said, earphones in, pretend you are so absorbed in your listening that you can't even see them and think that anything they are doing is totally unrelated to your presence.

It will drive them crazy and they will soon find someone else to pick on.

I second wearing earphones and if weather permits sunglasses, and just ignore the two cretins.

I would ask them if they are okay if there is a next time, OP. Really weird behaviour.

How strange. They do sound like silly school girls themselves. I’d be tempted to say something like ‘are you alright? You’re behaving very oddly, do you need help?’ or just look at them with perplexed sympathy.
It’s not pleasant but I couldn’t get worked up about such ridiculous behaviour from two cretinous women.

Next time the laughing thing happens enact a Paddington bear hard stare and ‘surely you don’t mean to be so rude’