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 🤷🏻‍♀️

I love the taxidermist on this thread and may gave to Google to see if any of her work is available to buy as it sounds fabulous! The (it's fish - but how is that messy?) other thread had a lady who claimed not to crochet and rollerskate at the same time but we knew! The image left me hysterical and my poor husband couldn't see why I found it so funny! Gotta love MN sometimes

I haven’t name changed since I joined. I don’t see the point as Rebecca isn’t my name anyway.

I've always thought it was because the poster had been around for ages, with a lot of info about themselves on MN so they don't want to give a particular bit of info.

My DH does football. So do 265 million other people.
Now you all know who I am.

The problem I find with the secret hobby threads, is that I can’t actually follow the content of the thread, because I find myself trying to figure out what the hobby is. When the OP posts, rather than readings the main points, I’m looking for more evidence to work out what the hobby could be. It would be so much better if they just came straight out with it.

Oh no! I don't recall posting this but I am the only one so it must have been me! Doubly outed!

If I ever took up a strange, niche, identifying hobby, I don’t think I’d tell anyone irl, but I’d blab it all over MN!

There was a great thread a few months, years or decades ago where a poster was complaining about a man who was rubbish at the "hobby" and was trying to take over.

Loads and loads of posters were asking for the hobby as it couldn't be that unique.

In exasperation she said what it was ... and it was unique!! It was something like a 17th century string instruments band.

I mean they played 17th century music not they from the 17th century! Because that would definitely be unique.

The guy was absolutely terrible at playing and spoiled the whole group.

Anyway every time I read "outing hobby" I think of that thread!!

Well my husband is a mountain climber,top of his game ,has climbs named after him all over the world but am sure no one would identify him because there are many top climbers …same as cyclists 🤦‍♀️

This.

If I say on a thread that I do bell ringing (hardly unique across the country, but also not that many people do it.
Then, on another thread I am helping someone who has asked "Does anyone know Manchester well"
Then I've been advising about Pay bands for Nurses, and on another thread joined in a chat about working shifts
Plus I've mentioned my 4 dc on some other thread,

the combination of all that information would definitely 'out' me to all the people who know me.

There's an awful lot of people on MN who use the 'search' feature regularly.

It just makes sense to not put more information that you need to in any thread. If the thread is about a partner not pulling their weight at home due to them spending time doing their hobby, then what the hobby is just isn't important.

I fly small planes around for fun, which less than 0.2% of the population engage in, and only 5% or something of those are women, so when I mention my hobby to anyone I usually get a bit of a surprised reaction.

Which I guess is why I could easily be outed. I usually just name change after each post. After all, alot of people post on here because they don't want to ask people they know. It might be embarrassing, or something they're not comfortable speaking to someone close about.

If the thread is about a partner not pulling their weight at home due to them spending time doing their hobby, then what the hobby is just isn't important.

The trouble is, if a hobby isn’t specified, in my mind’s eye the partner is clad in Lycra and wearing a cycle helmet for the rest of the thread. It’s very off-putting!

Also depends how much certain hobbies annoy people as well. If it was football, cycling or golf, I'd be more annoyed for the OP because I can't stand any of them!
Maybe it's better they don't tell us!

It can be outing- on mn anything can be if put together-if your husband is a pro wrestler and you’re an ice skater, you have three daughters and live in the same town as the place they filmed The Vicar Of Dinley, someone might say - hold on that’s Lucy from the school gates!!!!

Most of the time, the actual hobby isn't relevant to the threat, yet as others have said, it can be distracting when someone makes a big deal of not letting on what it is. If someone's husband has met another woman while doing their hobby, it really doesn't matter if it is mushroom hunting, tai-chi or soap carving. They might as well just make something up ('My husband sees this woman at choir practice three times a week') and we could just crack on with advising the OP to leave the bastard (or whatever).

My DH plays and umpires netball. Oops - I’ve told the world he’s into a “girlified” sport.

There's a small chance I might know (of) him! 😆

I am hoping my husband doesn't take up golf as that might out him on here you never know who's watching, and waiting, and listening

My wife's friend does taxidermy from birds and squirrels. In fairness the do look good in little glass jars etc

I always assume it’s cycling if it’s a man. Or golf. Both are such niche interests that I can understand how they might be “outing”.🤣The women I know don’t have hobbies-they have things they like to do. I decorate cakes and write slash fanfic. Which, as a combination probably is pretty outing, now I think about it!

Yeah, it's not a word I tend to use. I associate it more with childhood. I tend to say "interests."

I think because usually what hobby it is is irrelevant when it’s the usual DH having an affair with someone he shares a hobby with. Posters also feel it could be outing.

There are a lot of niche sports though, which in combination with other information about the person can be outing

Or is there a species of squirrel that lives underwater, but once dead can be stuffed on land?

Or even worse - “think cycling”