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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be annoyed about the guy who took his top off in a roomful of women?

387 replies

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 06:47

I belong to a community choir and we had our Christmas concert recently. There was a room set aside for us to put our bags and coats in. It was a small room and jam packed after the concert with people collecting their bags.

The make up of the choir is predominantly middle aged and older women with a small number of men.

After the concert finished, we all went to the room to retrieve our bags. When I walked in, one of the men was standing in the corner with his top off and he didn't seem to be in a rush to put one back on. No one else was getting changed.

AIIBU to think it was out of order for him to do that? I feel I want to report him as I'm just sick of men doing shit like this. I've had more than my fair share of poor treatment of every kind over the years and I'm absolutely sick of it. If he wanted to get changed he should have gone to the toilet. I felt very uncomfortable. I didn't feel he was any kind of threat but just WHY? No one was impressed.

AIBU to report him to the choir leader?

OP posts:
Ukefluke · 21/12/2025 08:48

At a push, it was ok to quickly shuffle one top off and another on whilst discreetly facing the wall or a corner. From the description, that is not what he did, he stood about exposing his strong manly chest🤮 for longer than was necessary. So it wasnt about needing to change, it was some kind of wierd display.

It wasnt a "changing room" as such. The women dont seem to have been getting changed as its a mixed area . Presumably they used the toilets or came already in stage uniform

It was clearly a gathering / leave your stuff area, "a green room". He must have been aware of this.
Therefore it was nothing about getting changed, it was some weird getting getting off on being topless in a room of older women shit. In his sad head he was giving you a thrill. Or enjoying making people uncomfortable.
Probably some some "Christ put it away, my dinner is coming back up" comments might have burst his bubble

Clara27 · 21/12/2025 08:49

gannett · 21/12/2025 08:43

Trying to shame women for "immodest" dress is not a good look. Very Taliban-like.

Ah stop would ya. Bikinis and bras were never meant for day to day wear in public. You’re acting as if that’s normal. There’s many a casual restaurant that has had to introduce a tshirt requirement during summer for that exact reason. People have lost the run of themselves with their sense of entitlement. Why would I want to eat beside a topless man and a woman in a sports bra? Would you stop with your drama 😂

DeftGoldHedgehog · 21/12/2025 08:51

I would have said to him "You seem to have misplaced the top half of your outfit, Brian."

Gallowayan · 21/12/2025 08:51

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 06:55

But he wasn't just changing his top. He didn't take one off and put one on. He just stood their topless.

This is key, because it becomes performative, so you then would question his motives. If he had quickly and discreetly changed shirts there would be no issue.

Also, It is pure nonsense to pretend that the context does not matter. This did not happen on a beach or at a swimming pool it was in a room filled mainly with women.

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 08:51

I appreciate your feedback and have taken on board some of your opinions, which is what I was looking for in the first place. I could be over sensitive due to my past. However some of the comments here been very belittling and dismissive and remind me of how unpleasant complete strangers can be online. Thanks to everyone who has stood against those being unnecessarily rude.

OP posts:
gannett · 21/12/2025 08:53

Clara27 · 21/12/2025 08:49

Ah stop would ya. Bikinis and bras were never meant for day to day wear in public. You’re acting as if that’s normal. There’s many a casual restaurant that has had to introduce a tshirt requirement during summer for that exact reason. People have lost the run of themselves with their sense of entitlement. Why would I want to eat beside a topless man and a woman in a sports bra? Would you stop with your drama 😂

We weren't talking about restaurants.

You are aware that a sports bra is a sturdy item of clothing and far from lingerie, yes? In the summer almost every female runner I see is just in a sports bra.

tripleginandtonic · 21/12/2025 08:53

Trousers off a problem, top off not a problem.

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 08:53

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 06:58

@crowmate yes I agree. I would worry that he would think I was being ridiculous!

You would be absolutely right to worry about that.

DeftGoldHedgehog · 21/12/2025 08:53

I go to yoga classes with other middle aged women and two or three men. We'd take the piss if one of the men stood there with his top off.

Clara27 · 21/12/2025 08:54

gannett · 21/12/2025 08:53

We weren't talking about restaurants.

You are aware that a sports bra is a sturdy item of clothing and far from lingerie, yes? In the summer almost every female runner I see is just in a sports bra.

Yes I expect they are running or working out.

grizzlyoldbear · 21/12/2025 08:55

I get it OP, and it pisses me off too. It’s men being entitled, taking up space and enjoying an audience of passive women. It's so old

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 08:55

Gallowayan · 21/12/2025 07:16

I actually agree that it's inappropriate and odd and possibly attention seeking. Why was he taking his shirt off?

Because he was changing into or out of uniform. Read the OP's posts.

hididdlyho · 21/12/2025 08:57

I think trust your gut if you get the impression he's a bit creepy with women and an attention seeker. Keep your distance and if he tries to hug you be ready to step away and say 'no thankyou' if it makes you uncomfortable.

I don't think you can expect the choir leader to do much after the fact in this instance. Perhaps they could remind people where the changing facilities are before the next concert. At the time, they could have may be asked him if there's a problem and if he's too hot, suggest he goes outside to cool off rather than standing there half naked. If he does get off on the attention, it's possible he will see this as a win as you noticed him topless if that makes sense. I usually just ignore people like this as much as I can.

Mt563 · 21/12/2025 08:57

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 08:34

@AbbaCadaBraI agree with you but he wasn't behaving in a normal manner. I have not accused him and haven't spoken to anyone IRL about it. I just wanted to see what others thought.

What was not normal? All you've said so far is topless in the corner of a room. Not common perhaps but not that un-normal, especially given context (post concert, uniform for show, you don't know how long he was like that, maybe cooling down)

Was he staring? Preening? Forcing himself on people (you've mentioned hugs)? Chatting to people who were trying to ignore him? Ignoring other people asking him to put a top on?

Or is it just the standing topless?

LBFseBrom · 21/12/2025 08:57

I knew about the record company trying to sue but I was referring to the line:
"He got hair down to his knee".

Jacopo · 21/12/2025 08:57

People seem largely to have ignored the fact that this guy is always hugging the women, especially one in particular- who just happens to be the youngest woman in the group.

He is a creep. Creeps love pushing the boundaries.

EatYourDamnPie · 21/12/2025 08:58

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 08:55

Because he was changing into or out of uniform. Read the OP's posts.

Funny how none of the other attendees (all female) had the need to do that .

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 08:58

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 07:27

@DriveVerySlowlyPastNumber23IWantThemToSeeMyHatSo why weren't any women do the same. Come on! These are mostly middle aged menopausal women !

It's perfectly obvious, isn't it? Women don't habitually show their underwear. Men don't have to wear underwear on their top halves.

Do you get this upset in seaside towns on hot days?

Eyeshadow · 21/12/2025 08:59

Ignore the rude comments.

You can disagree with someone without being rude.

Some posters will come on here just to try and find things to be rude about or pick apart your posts to try and belittle you.
It says a lot about the state of their lives.

Gallowayan · 21/12/2025 09:00

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 08:55

Because he was changing into or out of uniform. Read the OP's posts.

That info was posted after my question not before.

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 09:01

naturenaturenature · 21/12/2025 07:29

@GnomeDePlumethats my point! So sick of men trying to assert their male dominance in this way. He stood their for ages, right in the middle of a tightly packed room.

Maybe he couldn't find whatever he was changing into. Maybe he just got distracted talking to someone. Maybe he was hot. It's just not a big deal.

CaptainMyCaptain · 21/12/2025 09:04

I can't see the problem.

Boomer55 · 21/12/2025 09:09

Brenda34 · 21/12/2025 08:37

There's often at least one odd one in a mixed choir. He does sound like a bit of a Martin.
In any choir I've been in, he'd have had the mickey taken by both sexes. I'm very surprised that a room full of middle aged women didn't have a field day in that respect.

Edited

And me. I’m an older lady, and I wouldn’t have been offended, I’d have been laughing and told him to put his body away as it would put me off my dinner later😉

GlomOfNit · 21/12/2025 09:09

I'm surprised at the ratio on this one. Sure, the social acceptance that men can be topless in public and it's ok, but women can't be, is there - but surely this is always with the unsaid rider that there's an appropriate time and place? On the beach or playing football on a hot day in the park - fine. Walking into a supermarket - not fine (IMO). At a physical leisure pursuit like swimming or running on a hot day - entirely unremarkable. In a workplace where everyone else is fully clothed - not on.

Clearly this room set aside for coats and bags was just that - a retirement room for the convenience of the singers, not a changing room. There would have been toilets and that's where he should have gone. Unexpected toplessness can therefore only have been gauged to attract attention/exert his presence/make women feel uncomfortable. OP, he was almost certainly doing this intentionally and therefore he's almost certainly an arse. I'd have had a word with him, myself - pointed out that it's not a changing room, just somewhere to take off and leave coats and he can use the loos.

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 21/12/2025 09:09

Soontobe60 · 21/12/2025 07:49

Why do you feel that it’s ok to take the piss out of a woman who felt uncomfortable that a man was half naked with no good reason in a room full of women? Are women not allowed any boundaries, or are they only allowed the same boundaries as you?

It wasn't a room full of women. Why does one person's discomfort at social behaviour normally deemed perfectly acceptable trump everything else? It sounds far too like people who moan about breastfeeding women making them feel uncomfortable. In either case, if you feel discomfort, don't look, FFS.