PSA Part II

...in which karma turns me from fashion judge to fashion victim.

Yesterday, while riding the bus home, I was chastised by a strange woman who did not approve of my shirt. Strange Woman did not direct her comments towards me, but at the air surrounding our seat as she sat down. To quote “Great! Nice to expose your big breasts and belly so everyone can see them”.

I raised my head from out of my book and looked around the bus. It was the usual mix of 5:30pm commuters. No one was dressed outrageously. I looked out the windows of the bus. I did not see any fashion victims on the street, or any half-naked women.

I lowered my head back into my book and was about to dismiss her comment as the sort of random thing I hear when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her raise her hand and block the right side of her face. As if she was blocking me out of her periphal vision.

She held her hand to her face for several minutes, then proceeded to rummage through her purse, sigh loudly and mutter underneath her breath until the bus reached my stop. I smiled, sweetly asked her to let me out of the seat, and got off.

I was wearing a perfectly respectible shirt. It was linen. It had flowers embroidered on the front and back. It was a sleeveless v-neck with a collar. It was pink! It passed the mirror test!

The only way anyone would have been able to see down it is if they were 1. Taller than me and 2. Standing directly above me and deliberately looking down. Which, because I was sitting and she was standing, is the only way she could have seen down my shirt.

I've moved well beyond being offended by the offhand comments and strange behaviors of fellow public transit riders. Occasionally I am irritated by stupid behavior , normally I simply amused at how little it takes to annoy people.