Why are ‘Hobbies’ so top secret on Mn?

[Alltheplantsarejustdying]

😂Always when someone talks about a hobby on here, it’s never said what the hobby is and a reason for this is often that it’s ‘Outing’
I honestly can’t think of that many hobbies and especially ones that should be kept secret or are especially outing, it’s such a mystery!

Is it just me 🤷🏻‍♀️

Someone once posted a pic of their hobby equipment on here and I figured out who they were! If you post the same photos on your secret hobby's Facebook then it might happen! Despite this, I didn't look at any of their previous posts, nor can i remember their username.

Was literally thinking this today! 😂

Yes!!

Yes. I find it odd. No one I know IRL uses that term. They would say hiking, cycling, crochet, etc

That would fit, and explain the horror and derision of the rest of the family. Especially if she specialised in Mooning Gnomes.

Tbf I do a very specific activity at a high level and there are only about 100 people in the UK who do it. So yes, I'd consider it outing. But I don't think that my situation is the norm.

God knows. And they’re always ‘outing’…

I guess we all like to think we’re totally unique and instantly recognisable.

YABU

9 times out of 10 , when someone posts and says that the hobby is “outing”, it’s because the subject of the thread is they think their DH is having an affair.

so the stakes are high.

I have to ask: Are you underwater, or the squirrels underwater, or both?

I don't know why, but when I think about 'hobbies' I usually think of something being made, e.g. sewing, painting, crafts, writing, etc. I don't think of running etc. in the same way, to me they're 'sports', not 'hobbies'. Not that it matters!

Yes it always makes me cackle too! cycling/running/knitting whatever- there are bloody thousands of people in every city over the UK who do these.

Yes, 'hobby' is an awful term. It suggests lonely people in bedsits making the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks.

I don't mention my hobbies as they'd out me as the tragic old geek I really am.

I hate it when people don’t mention shop names, as if Tesco are going to show up heavy armed with their lawyers knocking on the door at 8am because you said their trolley boy rolled his eyes at you.

It’s bloody comical when they say it I agree ! Like countless other people don’t go bike riding , play golf etc lol adds to the mystery I guess

Yes, even worse when they try to allude to it in an obvious way without saying what it is, so "think something that takes up most of Saturday and involves membership. equipment and drinks after"
OK, so golf then?

Gold, cycling or that thing where you play a game of some
description on tables after you’ve painted the figures.

My DH does cave and deep sea wreck diving and the community is small so I actually presume if someone pieced together all my threads and hobby it could potentially out me.

I didn’t read it that people thought having activities was sad - but using the term “hobby” imstead of just saying golf, karate, macrame or whatever

I'm never keen to admit that DH is a polyester wearing golf cliche.... but thankfully he gave up the extreme ironing, it was ruining my clothes.

Are you building the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks in a bedsit?

Ha agreed!

What hobby is ‘outing’?! It’s nearly always cycling or golf if talking about their husband. Or if themselves, it’s fish, until they get bored

Exactly, that's what I think. If anything, putting a store's title in a MN post is more likely to prevent the problem (if there is one) happening again.

I agree the one today that 'wasn't trains' was probably bloody colouring books. Or 'paint by numbers' (she said it was a bit messy)

It's weird how revealing 'hobbies' on MN has become so taboo. All hobbies must be shrouded in mystery and treated as highly confidential state secrets.

Also can't see the point of posting leading clues "think sewing but with wool and two needles" instead of just saying fucking knitting - like 'knitting' is a haunted word and if you type it out in full, demons will appear and everyone on MN will instantly know who you are, where you live and what colour knickers you are wearing. What the fuck IS that?

The only reason I don’t is that it’s in my contract that I need to watch what I say online as it could be taken as me being a spokesperson for that brand and it’s not worth risking my job. It’s not about people knowing where I work and coming to say ‘hello this random person on MN’.

The thread OP is referring to I think is more like buying those Sylvanian families and building settings maybe