My Wednesday started off wonderfully. It was finally warmer after being cold for what felt like forever, and I seemed to finally be happier, so the day seemed like it was going to be a good one. I had just gotten out of my politics class; I was walking across the quad to get to my next class when out of nowhere a guy walking across the quad had approached me.
Blindsided by any sort of interaction, he looked at me and muttered the words, "You're Bailey, right?"
Well, yes, indeed I am Bailey.
I responded with a confused, "Yes?"
This man's persona seemed to change at the drop of the hat and went from friendly to very confrontational and rude. He looked into my eyes all the way through my soul and gruffly began his monologue of issues he had with me. He began with the blatant statement of, "You're a f*****g catfish!"
Standing there in an extreme state of shock, I had nothing else to say except to make sure I had heard him right, so I said, with the most politeness I could muster, a calm, quiet, "Excuse me?"
Then, this is where all hell broke loose. The rest of his statement sounded a little like this: "You're over here posting all these pictures and going out to parties and you look good and then you walk around campus and you look like THAT!"
Whoa, whoa, whoa...Wait a minute right there, sir.
There are a few problems with the situation that all ran through the course of my mind in a matter of seconds before I let him know how I really felt and let some profanities spill out of my mouth. The first issue I had was the fact that this man decided OUT OF NOWHERE to disturb my peace to tell me that I look different with makeup on. The real question: what normal person looks the same without makeup on as they look with makeup on?
Yes, I do post pictures of what I look like when I go out because that's when I feel like I am the most confident and I look the best. Don't get me wrong, I've been working on the confidence to get to a point where I would be comfortable in no makeup and having that be broadcast to the world on my social media — I am not there just yet. Anyone who posts anything on social media wouldn't post a picture where they look bad because they want to convey their beauty and worth to the world through their pictures and posts.
This was taking place on a Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., so why would I look the same at 10 a.m. on a weekday as I would at 11 p.m. on a weekend night when I'm out at a party? That makes absolutely no sense to me. And, here's the thing: I don't even know this guy. I have never spoken to him in my life. I've been to a couple of parties that he has been at and he was wearing a sweatshirt from a high school in my hometown, but that is the extent of my knowledge on who he is.
Being the person I am, I told him in the nicest voice possible that I found it completely concerning that he thinks that women wear extreme amounts of makeup all the time that he can't appreciate a woman's genuine beauty. I also had to take a few low blows to his confidence because he ruined my morning, AND I was feeling saucy.
"And you may think I'm a catfish but at least you noticed me," I said. "Because I have no idea who you are but looking at you, I'm unimpressed."
Then, I took my cute little booty and walked to my next class. I was no longer nor will I ever be here for the meaningless opinions of a person like him. So, sir — you're probably reading this because you obviously follow me on social media — the next time I see you at a party, walk away instead of saying something stupid.
