I had an encounter with a woman today.
Not that sort of encounter.
I'm walking around Marks and Spencer, looking for some new underwear (I know I already have plenty. Thats not the point).
I almost always have my iPod on when I'm shopping so at first I didn't notice the woman asking me a question - not until I turned to go down the next aisle. I realised she'd asked me a question, paused my song and asked her to repeat what she said.
"Are these any good?" she asked. Holding up the biggest pair of control knickers I've ever seen in my life. "You can end up wasting a lot of money on these if they're not."
Now, I'll be frank. I don't think I'm a bad looking lady. I've got a decent figure. I wouldn't say that I look fat. I weigh in at about 155-160lbs which for my height, amost 6ft, is well within my normal weight range.
I told her that I was sorry but I had no idea. What I really wanted to say was "Do I look fat or something?"
I'm sure she was just looking for advice, but fuck, there is nothing like one of those comments to take you from feeling shit-hot (I got beeped at twice and checked out a couple of times walking to Blockbuster last night...in my lazy girl clothes!) to just feeling like shit.
This has happened to me before. For example:
"I don't know why you're single. You're not really ugly." - My cousins friend while a bunch of us were hanging out one evening.
"I'm not going to make fun of your friends becuse you're rather a large girl.." - A guy who I went on a date with whose name I can't remember but he was doing a PhD in Maths. Oddly enough I never saw him again.
At a Clinique counter:
Me: "I'm looking to buy some concealer."
Sales Assistant: "Oh..for the bags under your eyes."
Me: "I wasn't aware I had bags under my eyes. But yes, now its for the bags under my eyes."
Sometimes I like it better when people plain just don't talk to me...

