
Women Share The Creepiest Things Men Do Without Even Realizing
[rebelmouse-image 18362120 is_animated_gif=Being a creeper isn't always something people do on purpose. It's very possible to be minding your own business, just trying to live your life and be a good person, and accidentally make someone else uncomfortable. 8th grade me learned this while daydreaming on the really long bus rides home. It turns out I would zone out while staring at the person in front of me and to my left. Unfortunately the same kid sat there and it took almost three full weeks of daily stare-downs before he said something about it. I was the creep for almost a full month and had no idea! Sorry about that again, dude.
The thing is, I'm a four foot ten inch woman who could legitimately scare exactly nobody. At the time of my creeperhood, I was about four foot eight with poofy hair and enormous glasses, so again - not really scary. But my goodness how different might that person have felt if I was an adult man? My awkward innocent creepiness could have been full blown panic inducing creepiness to someone and I still may never have known it.
One Reddit user asked, Women, what is something creepy that guys do without noticing?
And the responses - which ended up coming from some men as well - really made us think. We gathered some of our favorite answers for you. Some are legitimately innocent, some are less benign.
Ask First
[rebelmouse-image 18362121 is_animated_gif=Walking you home after a date without asking if she would like you to.
I know in the guy's head he's being a gentleman and making sure his date gets home safely. But really think about what you're doing. You're following someone home when you barely know them. That's the sort of thing you should make sure is welcome first.
It's fine to offer to walk someone home, but if they decline don't insist and do it anyway. They either don't want you to know where they live and/or they aren't interested in spending more time with you. Don't follow someone - anyone - back to their house if they don't want you to. That's where nightmares start.
Hover Guys
[rebelmouse-image 18362122 is_animated_gif=Not a woman, but I guess hover guys. Like she is in a bar and there is one guy watching her from the distance. Feeling his stare she moves to another place in the establishment. Guess who will be close by to her new location? Yes that guy. To be fair that guy is probably not trying to be a creep, he likely is just very shy and struggling to make a move. He always finds excuses like: **"Oh she is talking to friends right now, better not interrupt." **
His indecisiveness and shyness keeps him in a state between approaching and not approaching, which makes him appear creepy.
Both Hands
[rebelmouse-image 18362123 is_animated_gif=I used to have an older male co-worker who would give me a creepy shoulder rub when he walked by my desk. Both hands.
One Redditor responded:
I had a coworker who would always do this to me. I'm male, by the way, but this guy was a good bit taller than me and would always do s* like this to me. Creeped me out so much. Please just don't touch me and let me work. You don't have to show me attention every time you walk past and, in fact, I'd appreciate if you didn't. Was so glad when that guy finally left.
Eavesdroppers
[rebelmouse-image 18362124 is_animated_gif=I once had a dude listening when I was making a call to set up a doctor's appointment. I verified my phone number to the receptionist on the other end of the line, he heard it, wrote it down then later texted me. I had no idea who he was.
Were your sneaky tactics supposed to impress me, dude? Because they didn't. A woman's info isn't a god damned free for all for you to use.
Don't ever do this.
Complimenting With Insults
[rebelmouse-image 18362125 is_animated_gif=By telling me how pretty I am by insulting my friend. Like: **"You're way prettier than Becky!" **
Thanks, dick. How do you not realize that instead of "winning her over", you're turning us off by being a jerk and insulting friends?
Creepy Coaching
[rebelmouse-image 18362126 is_animated_gif=Gym coaching. I'm a guy and I go to the gym regularly. I've seen a few men working out with women partners where they are obviously "coaching" them by keeping their hands on the woman's waist or somewhere else on her body while she goes through the motion of her exercise. Like, I really don't think she needs you to have your hands on her waist while she performs weight assisted pull-ups and you don't need to stand behind her and hold her while she does squats.
No Touching
[rebelmouse-image 18362127 is_animated_gif=Touching my hair without consent. Don't Do it. Whenever I change my hair cut, color or style I invariably have men touching it. Girls squeal and tell me it's pretty then ask to touch it and don't push it if I say no. Guys (customers or coworkers) just reach out and touch it. I appreciate compliments, I really do, but why do you have to be touching my hair to tell me how nice it looks?
Not Helping Your Case
[rebelmouse-image 18362128 is_animated_gif=Get defensive to the point of anger when we point out ways in which they're making us uncomfortable.
Really not helping your case, my dudes.
Housewife
[rebelmouse-image 18362129 is_animated_gif=Telling me that I would make a good "housewife" or that you want to take me back to your house when I'm just doing normal cleaning up at work. Do you see the male employees wipe counters and tell them they'd be great "househusbands" or that you want to take them home?
Don't people get how they're coming across?
The "In"
[rebelmouse-image 18362130 is_animated_gif=Eavesdropping on conversations just to get an "in" to start talking. This weekend my friends and I went to a bar and were waiting in line to order our drinks. One of our friends had gone to the bathroom and was going to meet us in line. The friend I was standing with and talking to said something to the effect of "I wonder what Lauren wants me to order her?" during our conversation. When Lauren approaches, the guy that was standing behind us says "oh you must be lauren" even tho we haven't talked to him at all. He then starts asking us all where we're from and trying to small talk. This doesn't make you seem attentive, it makes you seem creepy and desperate.
MILF
[rebelmouse-image 18362131 is_animated_gif=Do not call a woman a yummy mommy, MILF, naughty mommy or any other term that sexualizes the fact I have children. It's creepy!
(Still Talking)
[rebelmouse-image 18362132 is_animated_gif=When you've made every nonverbal signal that you aren't interested and they approach you anyway or just linger around staring. If I am avoiding eye contact, cross my arms/frown, or if I see you approaching and move or change my direction... I'm not interested. This happens especially with guys in their 50s-70s at my gym, I make it very obvious I'm not interested, and then try to shut down the conversation that happens inevitably anyway, but they just keep. talking. and then trail you (still talking) if your try to physically remove yourself from their presence.
Social Thirst
[rebelmouse-image 18362133 is_animated_gif=I'm a dude but i laugh so hard when i see guys act thirsty as hell on Social Media. Y'know the guy who comments heart eye emojis, says "Damn" or tries to start a conversation on photos.
"Damn, girl. That oatmeal with fresh fruit and cinnamon is straight ????. I wouldn't mind waking up to anything you do in the morning ????????????"
(this hurt me to type)
You Can't Force Gifts
[rebelmouse-image 18362134 is_animated_gif=Buying me stuff and then refusing to stop when I ask them to. Nothing ever comes for free. And when they inevitably try to make a move some how I'm the rude heartless bitch that was taking advantage of them and leading them on. I explicitly asked them to STOP BUYING ME STUFF then had to move to actually throwing it away in front of them. They never got the hint and turned this into my fault for 'sending mixed signals'.
Turn Down The Volume
[rebelmouse-image 18362135 is_animated_gif=I wonder if dudes realize how scary it is when they raise their volume in conversation. I had a roommate that was a big guy, 6.5 feet and probably 250 lbs, fairly intimidating stature. He'd always talk to girls he had over with his booming voice and wondered why none of them stayed.
Guys do this to each other all the time, your voice just gets louder and louder until you're shouting. And nobody is even mad. Just passionate about the conversation.
"I Look Constipated"
[rebelmouse-image 18362137 is_animated_gif=Don't make prolonged eye contact in the mirror at the gym with strange women. It can get weird pretty fast. I look constipated half the time when I lift weights, not really looking to bat my eyelashes in return.
Where's My Hug?!
[rebelmouse-image 18362138 is_animated_gif=Demand a hug after the first meeting. We may have only said 3 words to each other but they ALWAYS want a hug. Some people are huggers, some are not. If she doesn't want a hug, offer a respectful hand shake. It's more about demanding it. The whole "where's my hug?!" is super creepy. Just read the signals. I'm a hugger too, but it's pretty easy to tell when someone doesn't want to be hugged.
I love being hugged, the vast majority of guys I know hug me, and 99% of the time, I'm down for that snug. If you notice that they step back or stiffen up, don't do it. Don't do it if you don't know them well, or if they seem like they're trying to leave the conversation.
If they're friends, and return the hug, go for it. The world needs more hugs.
Customer Banter
[rebelmouse-image 18349653 is_animated_gif=I work for Dollar General so pretty much every old man who makes a semi sexual or flirty comment to be 'nice'. One example was a time I asked an old man if he was ready to check out and he responded with: "What? Oh, yes! I'm always ready! Ready to stay, ready to go home, especially if it's with someone as pretty as you."
In another incident with a different man, I had accidentally gotten dust across my chest while holding a step stool. Instead of nicely telling me, an older man just continued staring at my chest and said: __"If anyone is staring at your nice big boobs, it's because of all of the dust." __He never even looked up at my face.
The one that really got me was one particularly creepy and blatant regular who needed something, so I told him to hang on and I would be right with him. I was holding things and needed to put them down. Instead, he came walking towards me and looked me up and down really obviously while saying:
"No, no. You can stay right there..."
They are all aware I'm 18.
Personal Space
[rebelmouse-image 18362139 is_animated_gif=Get way too close in my personal space to the point where they're almost touching me when I don't even know them.
This happens to me all the damn time at work. Guys come up so close behind me when I'm cleaning or stocking that I conveniently bump into them with my a** when I go to stand up. Or they conveniently get to touch me when I turn around on "accident." I can't complain to management because it does look like an accident.
I feel like some sort of petting zoo animal with how many men (It's never women, somehow) manage to "accidentally" put their hands all over me every day.
Not Slick
[rebelmouse-image 18362140 is_animated_gif=Guy at my school I noticed if he's in front of me walking and sees me he'll slow down so I can pass him. I tested this last week by slowing down as he slowed down. We both practically stopped walking entirely. I told him to stop staring at my a**/ he's not slick. His face went red.
It's not the looking at my a** that bugs me. I look at guys too. It's staring or changing your course to get a better look that I have an issue with. If I see a hot guy and go out of my way to look at him some more then I'm being a creep. If I look and keep going as normal, that's not creepy. That's my concern with this guy. He's making it a habit to alter his path to stare at me some more.
H/T: Reddit
We may not like it, but getting older is pretty inevitable.
With age may come wisdom, but it also comes with lots of responsibilities.
And some days, we're just over it.
Redditor brick_layer asked:
"What tasks are you tired of doing as an adult?"
Decisions, Decisions
"Deciding what to make for dinner."
- PortiaEss
"I would eat people kibble if it tasted good. Bachelor Chow (just add beer) needs to be a real thing."
- chaos8803
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho
"Going to work and acting like a functional person."
- ovelanimimerkki
"Yep, I hate trying to work when I'm not emotionally stable or just exhausted. And you literally can't tell anyone or they tell you to go get a coffee which just makes the week go downhill over time."
- gg_ff_42069
Manners
"Being polite to other adults who don't deserve it."
- 25_-a
"Also known as the 'I am too old for this sh*t' phase of life."
- Zintao
Cleaning
"Cleaning the fridge. 🤢 when I find something way in the back that’s been forgotten."
- joydobson
"I finally cleaned out ours today because it was trash day, and the husband isn’t home to argue with me about how that sauce from 2015 is 'still good!!' 🤨 Now I have an empty fridge with just the bare essentials. Worth it."
- Grizelda_Gunderson
Circle of Life
"Working. Paying bills. Getting up early. Doing stuff."
- guyfromcroswell
"Agreed. Such a mundane cycle indeed."
- Emotional_Ratio_3251
Is Naked So Bad?
"Laundry grrrrr."
- FewPizza7880
"I tend to put the laundry in, hear it beep, forget about it for 6 hours then remember it needs to dry."
- marvel_is_wow
Traffic
"Anticipating the morons on the roads that change lanes without signaling."
"Or merging into 70mph traffic while doing 45..."
- haveyouseenthebridge
"Or being stuck behind those people as we're merging, I get pissed. Like speed up to the flow of traffic, being behind them merging puts me in danger too."
- Nigel_IncubatorJones
Maintenance
"Buying a house is an endless list of shit that needs fixing or improving."
- muffbiscuits
"This is one of the many reasons I bought a condo. The majority of the maintenance is somebody else’s problem. I haven’t cut grass, raked leaves or shoveled snow in almost a decade."
‐ yogaballcactus
Teeth
"Brushing my teeth. It's annoying."
- scottevil110"
"I feel this deep. It’s flossing for me."
- brick_layer
"Wait until you're in your 60s and all of a sudden the perfect teeth that never even had a cavity now all of a sudden have tiny cracks and need porcelain crowns and you have constant pain and Delta Dental only covers cleanings and x-rays and a single crown is like $1500 and they're telling you that you need four and you think, well, we don't really need two cars, I could sell my old Subaru."
- Nobody_Wins_13
Alarming
"Waking up to an alarm clock."
"I've been waking up to an alarm clock almost every day since 1985, and I'm fucking tired of it."
"I want to wake up when I'm done sleeping."
"I don't want to wake up and find that I've slept through/turned off my alarm(s) yet again, and have to choose between packing a lunch and taking a shower."
- thisbuttonsucks
What part of adulthood are you tired of?
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I would love to know how people don't fear death.
I mean, it's the end. Life will be over. That kind of sucks.
Yet there are people who find tranquility in it.
Can you teach the rest of us?
Redditor deensuk wanted to hear from everyone who has a calmness about the heading to the afterlife. They asked:
"People who are not scared of death, why?"
I have a constant fear of death. I wanna perfect the ending of "Death Becomes Her" so I can live forever.
Before
"I'm not scared of death because of working in health care I was around it so much. I AM scared of what leads to death, however."
Full-Mulberry5020
Why now?
"Why should I be scared now of something that's only going to happen at the end of my life?"
User Deleted
"I did this cult thing called the landmark forum and I actually did like their “meaning of life”: the meaning of life is that there is no meaning. Life is empty and meaningless. There is no answer."
"Life is what you make of it and every persons answer is equally valid because there is no meaning to life. Life exists as, basically, an accident, we are all here by complete accident, there’s no great mystery, it’s all biology and you are 100% free to make life about whatever it is you want."
Conservative_HalfWit
Death and I are good friends...
"I was very sick as a child. Spent ages 7-20 in and out of hospital due to kidney issues. Lost a kidney at 28. Almost died during the surgery to removed the dead kidney due to blood loss. Had 5 surgeries back to back during the next 2 years. Twice they had difficulties bringing me out of anesthesia."
"Found my favorite aunt dead in her bed when I was 22. Watched my best friend die from a brain tumor at 30. Death has been a constant force in my life. Sometimes just on the edges waiting, sometimes unexpected staring me in the face. I'm not afraid because it's always been there. I now work in healthcare. Death and I are good friends."
Tiny_Teach_5466
No Worries
"Because it's coming for us all, sooner or later. So there's no point in worrying about it. I am much more concerned about day to day minutiae. The Lars von Trier film Melancholia starring Kirstin Dunst portrayed this perfectly. If there was an asteroid hurtling towards the earth, I'd probably be more preoccupied with worrying about whether I left the back light on or not."
Giallo_submarine
It's Over
"Because no one has ever made it out alive, and I was dead for an eternity before I was alive, and didn't suffer the slightest inconvenience because of it."
MarshallApplewhiteDo
I never thought about the before much. I hope the before is quick.
The Effects
"I hope that when my times comes it will be merciful. My uncle had a stroke, he is paralyzed. My grandmother is 91, but is losing all her memories of her life. Death does not scare me, what could be left of me before I die is what terrifies me."
M1ssy_M3
No Terror
"It’s like when the writer Nabokov said that he saw a picture one time, a picture of before he was born. It was a picture of his mother, his brother and sister that were older than him, but he had not been born yet. He said that when he saw that picture there was no terror in him, even though he was looking at a picture where he didn’t exist."
im_on-the_can
state of nonexistence...
"I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of dying. Death is just the state of nonexistence I experienced before I was born. I don't remember it because I didn't exist yet. Death will be the same way. I just don't want the transition to be marked by pain and sorrow at things left unfinished. I want it to be quick, painless, and with me surrounded by love."
Wazula42
I'm Gone...
"Because once I die, I won't know it. I won't miss people or regret things or feel pain or sadness about anything. I might fear being sick and slowly dying, just having to live with the knowledge that it's all going to end and this is the last time I'll ever see the people I love or taste good food or hear good music. That sounds almost unbearable. But death isn't even a thing, it's just having done something (died)."
"It's like virginity, it's a made-up state of being that just says whether or not you've experienced a specific occurrence. Once I die, I'm gone. My corpse will be the empty wrapper I used to be in, just garbage to be disposed of in whatever way makes my survivors feel better. I'll be switched off. If I don't worry about what the light feels after the bulb burns out, why would I be afraid of being dead?"
SallyHeap
At Peace
"I’m scared now because I have young kids. Once my kids are old enough to be on their own I imagine the fear will subside and I’ll have a more relaxed approach."
User Deleted
Some very interesting perspectives. May it all calm peacefully and with great mercy for us all.
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Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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