Uncomfortable comment from a work colleague I don’t know

[JenJen94]

I’m a bit unsure how to feel after a comment made to me this morning - whether it’s right I’m creeped out or if I’m over-reacting.

Without being too outing, I work at the head office for a big national company so several thousand employees on site across the week and obviously I don’t know everyone.

I usually park in the same spot every morning (in office 3 days a week) and quite often a man is parked a few spots along who will start at a similar time to me. I don’t know him, never see him in the office or know what department he’s in etc.

Today, he was parked up before me but I saw he was sat in his car when I arrived. I got my stuff out and began to walk to the office. I heard him get out of his car about 15/20 seconds after I walked past.

I got stuck behind someone at the entrance to the office and he had caught up by that point. He said to me ‘got your legs out today then’ as I was wearing a skirt given the hot weather.

I smiled/sheepishly laughed and walked on into the office.

Is this creepy given I don’t know this person or is it just me?

Bollocks.

They've never spoken to each other. Why does he need to "observe" or comment on changes in her appearance?

I've explained several times

I’ve heard this phrase about women in skirt and men in shorts

It's really not like "oh your hair is purple today"

Men like legs. It's likely as he was following her in as she was walking intothe office he was having a good look at op's legs and made that obvious to the op by his comment which in turn made her uncomfortable.

No you haven't explained. You've made excuses to try and justify why this effectively complete stranger feels he has the right to comment on a woman's appearance.

I have explained

You chose to believe otherwise

@IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastleWe no longer get posties around daily and they change all the time so, no, my lovely 90 year old FEMALE neighbour doesn’t know the postie. She was being friendly when she teased him about having his legs out ( wearing shorts). I really don’t think she was making a sexualised comment to him. She would be horrified that some people would read something sinister into her throw away comment.

They're just legs

If he'd said "nice legs out" or even "you've got your tits out today" it would have been sexual and inappropriate

"You've got your legs out today" is just a common phrase

There's also reading between the lines. I can see you are unable to do that.

Op said it felt creepy. It felt creepy because it was creepy.

It might be in your world. What a depressing thread this is. Everyday sexism alive and well and being cheered on.

Unbelievable
How on earth do some people get through life? People/men I don't know often make comments to me, I reciprocate and we get on with our day. It's a standard comment, not something pervy. Honestly, why are women in the UK such delicate flowers?

But isn’t that how attraction works? Surely for the vast majority of people, their relationships start with some sort of physical attraction. How does the Op not know that he could have said exactly the same thing to a bloke who turn up to work in shorts?
Not every comment between a man and a woman is sexist.

Maybe we don't want our bodies being commented on when we are going to work

Within an office environment where I work it used to be rare but getting more common for men to wear shorts in warm weather.

I actually expect to hear this comment aimed at men by both men and women

I don’t need to remember every single interaction I’ve ever had to know that I’ve never asked a strange man ‘Got your legs out, then’?

Do you need to remember every interaction you’ve ever had to know you haven’t said something sexist?

Commenting on the appearance of a colleague, especially of the opposite sex would be considered inappropriate where I work. I don't think it's creepy but I think it's inappropriate and probably clumsy

It was sexist and inappropriate and you know it was. That's why you're feeling like this about it. Your instincts are telling you exactly how it was meant.

Always ask yourself if they would say the same thing to a man and ignore the gaggle of pick me handmaidens your post immediately attracted.

Im a male schoolteacher and today commented on a colleagues very pretty summer dress, something along the lines of "looking lovely and summery today" - we then had a chat about how she'd been in two minds as to go green or yellow - quite innocent.

Saying that there is another teacher who regularly wore a dress with lots of birds on it (blue tits etc.) and I couldn't resist the "see you've got your tits out again comment" to her every time she wore it - I'm still paying for that as we've been married 15 years, so its a winning chat up line😊

People need to mindful in a working environment of comments like that. It can make some feel uncomfortable. I'd be wary of a stranger overstepping a boundary. Maybe he was flirting but he sounds like a d&%k
.

I’m pretty easy going. And would t mind this comment from someone I know.

But I think this is odd. If you knew him or even chatted every now and again….

but this is his first comment to you? Sounds like he notices you usually wear trousers…

Fuck - didn’t mean to quote the OP!! 🤦🏼‍♀️

MN is doing weird things…. I also didn’t quote
myself.

I'm afraid I have to go against the consensus. It's is a bit creepy and weird as he's never spoken to you before yet demonstrates he notices what you wear. It may be a clumsy attempt at conversation and he may be regretting is this evening.
Does it matter whether it was said by a Basil Fawlty or George Clooney look alike? Does former become creepy and the latter become a compliment?

It's not a silly comment. It's factual and not inappropriate IMHO.

Ah but the apologists here aren't saying it's a compliment. Don't you understand? It's nothing as personal as a compliment. It's "an observation" ; it's "factual"

Why this random man, who has never previously spoken to the OP and whose name and position is unknown to the OP, thinks there is the slightest need to make the "observation" or state the fact that the OP has legs escapes me.