Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
40 Women Share Something Completely Offensive A Man Told Them Thinking It Was A Compliment
Whatever happened to simple compliments? Like, your “you look lovely today” and “you’ve done a great job” or “you look like a dude who can lift two oxen.” No, everyone has to ruin it by not thinking what they say and being too elaborate for their own good.
Incidentally, women of Reddit have been recently sharing all the dumb stuff men complimented without realizing it’s not a compliment, but rather an offensive statement.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I don't like men complimenting me by bringing other women down. I work in a male dominated field and a lot of men seem to think it's a compliment to say "most women couldn't do this" or "wow, you drink beer, I'm glad you're not a fruity drink girl!"
Women can like whatever they want without it changing their personality and the best way to compliment someone is to compliment them, not put down other people.
RELATED:
#2
Probably the most disgusting would be stuff similar to "i can't wait until you're legal".
#3
I was 8 months pregnant at a Flea Market in Florida. Walked by a dude with my ex and he looked at us and said “Both white, done right” “Keeping the white breed alive”, “beautiful”. My ex immediately said “Oh I’m not the dad, he’s black.” The look on the dudes once confident face….
Jennifer Potter 7 months ago
What is WRONG with those people???? Not the preg girl and the ex, the others!!! I am REELING!!!
Load More Replies...
Devon Archer 7 months ago
Honestly, No one is actually fully white, and no one is actually fully black, we are all a sort of pale pinkish beige to a dark brown beige color. Like who cares!?! Racists are so stupid it just makes no dang sense.
Jennifer Potter 7 months ago
Its just an excuse to cut people out of their hearts so they dont have to care for/about them/live side by side peacefully with them. Horrendously inhumane!
Load More Replies...
L. Murphy 7 months ago
A racist a*****e came into the donut shop where I used to work and went on a racist tirade about black people. I shut him down by saying my stepfather was black and told him he should leave. I was fired because he was a regular.
HighNMightyBigshot 7 months ago
But why did you have to have mention your relationship with a Black person to say anything? Just call him out on his racism point blank.
Load More Replies...
Johnnynatfan 7 months ago
This doesn’t really belong in this list. It’s a s****y thing to say but it could be just as offensive to a guy as a woman
Tamra 7 months ago (edited)
Come on guys, he doesn't deserve a downvote, he's right. This one's about racism and affects men and women alike.
Load More Replies... 
Norman Yenney 6 months ago
Took me awhile to work this out bc of the way it was written. It reads like the random guy was walking with her ex...🙄
Matthew Savestheworld 7 months ago
In my head the ex has no idea who the baby's father is but knew her well enough that she would go along with the lie, just to put a racist a*****e in his place
So, a Redditor asked ladies of Reddit to share things that were absolutely offensive to them despite the guy genuinely (seemingly) thinking it’s a compliment. Otherwise they wouldn’t have said it, right?
The post reached 7,000 upvotes and generated a conversation of 4,400 comments.
#5
I didn't know he was behind me until I heard him next to my ear. "You smell so good I could kidnap you." The tone froze my blood. He was a truck driver and older than dirt. I hope he drove off a cliff into a frozen lake.
#6
When I was 14 I sat at a bus stop, a man sat down next to me and said "you know, I'm 68 now but I'm still into young pretty girls like you".
Made the hair at the back of my neck stand up and I immediately took off. Since then I could never view an old man as just a cute grandpa.
If we were to consider this from a psychological perspective, there are three kinds of people: those who think before they speak, those who speak before they think, and those who can do both at an equal speed.
The rarest breed of folks is definitely that last one, and you might not have met any such individual, but they exist, rest assured.
#7
I will literally never forget it:
"You're not conventionally like, a hot girl. But you're still like, pretty. Which is so much better."
The sprint I spranted.
#9
Not me but I heard a colleague say "I bet you were a stunner when you were younger" to our COO at a staff party.
I knew he meant it as a compliment but ouch.....
It all boils down to how one’s brain and tongue are wired. Human nature expert Andrea Kihlstedt exemplified this with her husband. He’s a thinker before a talker—so much so, in fact, that sometimes whenever Andrea engages him in a conversation and asks him a question, he takes so much time to come back with an answer that she thinks he might not have heard her.
#10
That he wishes he could fuse my head on my best friend's body. I'm more conventionally attractive, but she's petite and I'm sturdier, like my strong fisherman ancestors lol. Dude genuinely thought he was complimenting us both. 🤣.
#11
A bloke came up to my wife and said” you’re too pretty to be in a wheelchair”.
Well, he did—he was just considering his words before answering carefully. Thoroughly.
Conversely, Andrea also has a friend who speaks before she thinks. Sometimes her speech gets so fast that she begins answering a question that her brain registered halfway through the conversation, but that wasn’t the actual one.
#13
«How do you not have a boyfriend? You’re so pretty!» Five min later: «You’re very pretty.» Said to me when I was 21, by my 50m psychologist.
#14
Not a woman but recently heard a guy (customer) say to a woman (clerk) "You're so pretty if knew where you lived I'd totally watch you with my drone".
#15
A customer saw me sweeping the floor. Looked at me with hungry wolf eyes, nearly salivating, and said “You’re sure gonna make a great wife one day”.
P R I C K.
Those sound like two extremes, but they signify one’s thinking patterns and the way their brain processes information. The easier approach to this is to adapt to it. By that, she means that you can train yourself not to jump in immediately with your response to a response. Which, when you think about it, is a good thing—patience, and not cutting off someone mid-way.
#17
"You have a face that would do well in trafficking."...by this random guy walking past my car while I was sitting in a parking lot, waiting for my daughter.. I rolled up my window.
#18
“I feel like we are already in a relationship but if you promise to lose weight we can make it official”.
Some people process their thoughts as they speak while others need to think what to say before they say it. And understanding that in yourself will help you identify the same thing in others.
Ask yourself, do you respond quickly while your mind is still thinking about it? Or do you wait to muster a thought and then execute it with your noise-hole?
#19
“You have horse legs”
(Guy intended to compliment my leg musculature but instead left me envisioning myself as a literal centaur).
me myself and i READ BIO AGAIN 7 months ago
I mean… this one is quite nice, a little bit confused, but not too bad compared to the other ones on this list
#21
"Bill Clinton would have loved for you to be his intern" - said to me back in the late 90s and still disgusted by this comment to this day.
The rule of thumb, however, is to always try to think before you speak. While the other approach is definitely an option—you need to hear yourself think and whatnot—but not everyone is ready to hear your wild thoughts. The world is ripe with people looking to misinterpret and misunderstand things. So, train yourself to think first, and speak later. We’ll wait.
#22
"just so you know I really like brown women, I can handle the heat" - some random dude
Like what are you even talking about ☠️ go home ☠️.
Violet1854 7 months ago
“I can handle the heat” Bet you can handle a broken nose as well. Your face is the exact thing I have been training to punch all these years
#23
For a girl, you really seem to understand Science.
HI, I'M A SHOUTY MAN 7 months ago (edited)
My (majority female) chemistry class, (female) science teachers and all of the literal (all female) scientists I work with would have something to say to this bloke. I just want to speak to him. (like mate in high school I was in an advanced biomedicine workshop at the hospital labs for high school students, like the best of the best... out of 30 odd students, two boys. And all of the other extracurricular science things I did in high school, once you got to the really advanced things, it was mainly girls.)
#24
“It’s pretty impressive how hard you’re working to become a philosopher when youre pretty enough to just go find some rich guy and live off him for the rest of your life.”.
It helps to evaluate your answer in terms of whether what you’re about to say is true, helpful, important, necessary and kind. Incidentally, that spells think. You’re welcome.
But it is true—telling someone lies might hurt them, let alone ruin your reputation. Telling someone something helpful will actually bring good to them.
#25
"You're too pretty to be in pain" ... Thanks pal I'll put in a complaint for incorrect punishment.
#26
I think the worst thing was a question: '*How much are you*?' This was quickly followed by a sneering laugh, his mates joining in.
Courtney Christelle 7 months ago
That’s when you act confused and make him explain that he wants to purchase another human being. If he has any shame AT ALL he’ll hear himself and be embarrassed.
#27
I was talking about dieting with a coworker and he said “don’t lose any weight, girls your size are the most fun to eat out” 🤢.
Same goes for whether it’s important and necessary—especially in this day and age where we filter out the information based on how important and necessary it is to us.
If a person speaks the opposite, however, that will immediately put you on that Reddit list as someone who is hateful, hurtful or plain old dumb.
#29
"Not having a job looks great on you" - said to me by an ex after I'd been unemployed for a month and had lost considerable weight due to stress & etc.
#30
Not a woman and didn't happen to me but i witnessed it. Guy and girl giving it big licks on the dance floor for a few songs. After they were finished he said "You don't sweat much for a fat burd".......that has been seared in my memory for the best part of fifteen years. Still gobsmacked when i think about it.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Ever got an inappropriate compliment that could make this list? Share them in the comment section below!
#31
I got a new sports car last year & when a man saw it he asked if my husband let me drive his car. My husband drives a truck.
#32
“You’d be so pretty with makeup on.”.
#33
In my defense I was trying to flirt with her ok lol
I once told my crush while we were flirting that "I feel like I lose a braincell talking to you" but what I meant was that I can be myself around her and I'm usually pretty smart but for some reason when I talk to her I don't think things over I just go for it but noooo my brain was like f**k it we ball with that sentence lol.
#35
"Youre too pretty to do that" (cutting) (Emt)
"I dont think youre depressed I think youre just a cute fun girl" (guy who wanted to date me).
Another Panda 7 months ago
*wtf* ? Any phrase that begins with “you’re too pretty” or “you’re too handsome” should not be said.
#37
“I had a great time with you tonight even tho I didn’t get to have sex. “.
#38
I won an award at work. At the time I was a supervisor of my department and had 5 people reporting to me. One of the VP’s told me it was nice to see the ‘little people’ get recognized.
#39
That 90 percent of men “would” sleep with me.
CrunChewy McSandybutt 7 months ago
90 percent of men would f*ck a tree if you lubricated it enough.
#40
I see you drinking 1%. Is that cause you think you're fat? Because you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to.
Rahul Pawa 7 months ago
This is from a movie. Had to Google it to make sure I was right. It's from Napoleon Dynamite.
What do you think ?
Moose0690 7 months ago
An ex informed me that he had cheated on me and had gotten the other girl pregnant. A few months later he called and if I wanted to get back together because she had lost the baby. He was shocked when I declined. I guess I was supposed to feel blessed that he had come back to me. So so sick...
tresgatos72 7 months ago
When I was in college, one drunk guy at a party told me that I looked like "an ugly version of Sheryl Crow". Another time a drunk lesbian told me that I "looked like Alanis Morissette, but not as pretty." I took the Sheryl Crow comment as a compliment, but laughed at both of them. 😆
Sweet Fanny Adams 7 months ago
I hope you said, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?" and "All I wanna' do is have some fun!" 😄
Load More Replies...
Ms Magoo 7 months ago
Worked at a mfg plant 10 years out of high school. QA. 5 years in, sitting in my office checking parts. Janitor stands in doorway (had worked with him 5 years at this point) said "I could come in and rape you right now". Early 1980s. Reported him to plant manager. Talked to, advised to stay away from me, but kept his job. 😵 😲
A. HAM 7 months ago
I was fresh out of high school when my boss, a man in his 50’s, said to me, “What’s the name of the perfume you’re wearing? I want my wife to smell like you.”
Ken Beattie 7 months ago
Hmm, that one doesn't sound as bad. Or rather, it sounds bad, but maybe wasn't intended to be. That just sounds like he was hamfisted when it came to asking the question.
Load More Replies... Rai 7 months ago
Standing at a bus stop with no shelter, in the rain, a gentleman in his 50s-ish came up to me GENUINELY trying to by nice/compliment me: Here, share my umbrella.... SH*T! Unless you're working (pr*stituting)... You're pretty enough, you could be working. I don't assume." First of all, ya kinda just assumed. Second of all, AYFKM?!
Bec 7 months ago
When my sister lived in a big city, she was waiting for a bus and had come from the gym (probably in tights and a big T-shirt or sweatshirt) and a guy ask her if she was working, she was just very confused for a second before realizing what he meant 🤢
Load More Replies...
Queeqec 7 months ago
Every compliment refering to looks. I am a pretty smart, but not very pretty woman and I am perfectly aware of that and fine with it. Just stop thinking lying in my face with a fake compliment would make me feel better. Beauty is not what's making my personality, all of the rest is.
JoNo 7 months ago
A few of us were chatting after a meal. I was complaining about the severity of my period pain. A male said "Well, having a baby could help". Great advice, from a doctor, except I was 15 and he was my brother-in-law. Years later I wanted to say to him "I've had the baby and my periods are still bad".
Guess Undheit 7 months ago
Most "doctors" are quacks and mengeles. Don't take no for an answer if you still have pain and haven't been diagnosed. Constant pain is not "normal".
Load More Replies... Flora Porter 7 months ago
'You should smile more', especially from the (male) global head of HR, though heard plenty of variations on it over the years. Not that long ago; this century, anyway.
Little king trash mouth 7 months ago
Same. It's so annoying. I could go to the website but the point of the app is supposed to be an easier experience. It never is with this awfully run app.
Load More Replies...
Jess Allen 7 months ago
I was in the ER with my mom who was having having heart issues. The doctor looked over her file and noticed she had bariatric surgery. He turned to me and said, "You'd be gorgeous if you had baratric surgery."
Marnie 7 months ago (edited)
Two things by two different guys and about 10 years apart: 1) "You used to be so beautiful! What happened?" He was looking at my college graduation picture from three years earlier when I was 15 pounds lighter. 2) "I can really tell that you used to be in good shape!"
athornedrose 7 months ago
10 year old me on vacation with my extended family at a pool. college guy keeps trying to get me to leave the pool and go to his room. kept it up until my big cousin walked over shouting "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH A LITTLE GIRL?!" drawing all the adults attention. he then said i was speaking so intelligently and with a rack like mine, he figured i had to be at least 16. that's still underage ya 22yo creep. gross
TruthoftheHeart 7 months ago
I had a guy compliment me on the whites of my eyes and how bright they were..
marius mako 7 months ago
Does someone told you that most of this article doesn't show properly?
A girl 7 months ago
I and three of my coworkers (all 5'11" or taller women) were standing outside our work lunch area discussing a client issue. The CEO walks by and asked if we were forming a woman's basketball team. Our eye rolls were incredibly painful. I guess I can see the humor but, dude, you're literally the boss. Apparently class has nothing to do with privilege.
Comfortably Numb 7 months ago
That's nothing like the story. That's a normal sense of humor, don try to be offended. Eye roll...
Load More Replies... 
Scrappychick 7 months ago
Women aren't great fans of being seen as objects, especially sex objects and by strangers
Load More Replies... Moose0690 7 months ago
An ex informed me that he had cheated on me and had gotten the other girl pregnant. A few months later he called and if I wanted to get back together because she had lost the baby. He was shocked when I declined. I guess I was supposed to feel blessed that he had come back to me. So so sick...
tresgatos72 7 months ago
When I was in college, one drunk guy at a party told me that I looked like "an ugly version of Sheryl Crow". Another time a drunk lesbian told me that I "looked like Alanis Morissette, but not as pretty." I took the Sheryl Crow comment as a compliment, but laughed at both of them. 😆
Sweet Fanny Adams 7 months ago
I hope you said, "Isn't it ironic, don't you think?" and "All I wanna' do is have some fun!" 😄
Load More Replies... Ms Magoo 7 months ago
Worked at a mfg plant 10 years out of high school. QA. 5 years in, sitting in my office checking parts. Janitor stands in doorway (had worked with him 5 years at this point) said "I could come in and rape you right now". Early 1980s. Reported him to plant manager. Talked to, advised to stay away from me, but kept his job. 😵 😲
A. HAM 7 months ago
I was fresh out of high school when my boss, a man in his 50’s, said to me, “What’s the name of the perfume you’re wearing? I want my wife to smell like you.”
Ken Beattie 7 months ago
Hmm, that one doesn't sound as bad. Or rather, it sounds bad, but maybe wasn't intended to be. That just sounds like he was hamfisted when it came to asking the question.
Load More Replies... Rai 7 months ago
Standing at a bus stop with no shelter, in the rain, a gentleman in his 50s-ish came up to me GENUINELY trying to by nice/compliment me: Here, share my umbrella.... SH*T! Unless you're working (pr*stituting)... You're pretty enough, you could be working. I don't assume." First of all, ya kinda just assumed. Second of all, AYFKM?!
Bec 7 months ago
When my sister lived in a big city, she was waiting for a bus and had come from the gym (probably in tights and a big T-shirt or sweatshirt) and a guy ask her if she was working, she was just very confused for a second before realizing what he meant 🤢
Load More Replies... Queeqec 7 months ago
Every compliment refering to looks. I am a pretty smart, but not very pretty woman and I am perfectly aware of that and fine with it. Just stop thinking lying in my face with a fake compliment would make me feel better. Beauty is not what's making my personality, all of the rest is.
JoNo 7 months ago
A few of us were chatting after a meal. I was complaining about the severity of my period pain. A male said "Well, having a baby could help". Great advice, from a doctor, except I was 15 and he was my brother-in-law. Years later I wanted to say to him "I've had the baby and my periods are still bad".
Guess Undheit 7 months ago
Most "doctors" are quacks and mengeles. Don't take no for an answer if you still have pain and haven't been diagnosed. Constant pain is not "normal".
Load More Replies... Flora Porter 7 months ago
'You should smile more', especially from the (male) global head of HR, though heard plenty of variations on it over the years. Not that long ago; this century, anyway.
Little king trash mouth 7 months ago
Same. It's so annoying. I could go to the website but the point of the app is supposed to be an easier experience. It never is with this awfully run app.
Load More Replies... Jess Allen 7 months ago
I was in the ER with my mom who was having having heart issues. The doctor looked over her file and noticed she had bariatric surgery. He turned to me and said, "You'd be gorgeous if you had baratric surgery."
Marnie 7 months ago (edited)
Two things by two different guys and about 10 years apart: 1) "You used to be so beautiful! What happened?" He was looking at my college graduation picture from three years earlier when I was 15 pounds lighter. 2) "I can really tell that you used to be in good shape!"
athornedrose 7 months ago
10 year old me on vacation with my extended family at a pool. college guy keeps trying to get me to leave the pool and go to his room. kept it up until my big cousin walked over shouting "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH A LITTLE GIRL?!" drawing all the adults attention. he then said i was speaking so intelligently and with a rack like mine, he figured i had to be at least 16. that's still underage ya 22yo creep. gross
TruthoftheHeart 7 months ago
I had a guy compliment me on the whites of my eyes and how bright they were..
marius mako 7 months ago
Does someone told you that most of this article doesn't show properly?
A girl 7 months ago
I and three of my coworkers (all 5'11" or taller women) were standing outside our work lunch area discussing a client issue. The CEO walks by and asked if we were forming a woman's basketball team. Our eye rolls were incredibly painful. I guess I can see the humor but, dude, you're literally the boss. Apparently class has nothing to do with privilege.
Comfortably Numb 7 months ago
That's nothing like the story. That's a normal sense of humor, don try to be offended. Eye roll...
Load More Replies... Scrappychick 7 months ago
Women aren't great fans of being seen as objects, especially sex objects and by strangers
Load More Replies... You May Like “I Was Known As A Creep For Years”: 30 Men Reveal The Times They Undeservingly Were Called Creepy Raging Woman Demands Two-Year-Old “Man” Be Thrown Out Of Bathroom, Regrets It
Gabija Saveiskyte
Gabija Palšytė
Related on Bored Panda
