Woman shuts down rude co-worker who tells her that she is 'single' because she has too many hobbies

Long gone are the days when women were targeted if they did not follow society's rules. Today, women are living life on their own terms. Unfortunately, there are still naysayers but as shared by u/TellNo5035 and backed by social media users, their opinions should not have any value. The woman, 32, boldly countered the remarks thrown at her by a co-worker for pursuing her interests. Even though she was criticized for standing her ground in her office, people on Reddit assured her she was right for telling off the woman questioning her way of life.

The woman shared that she works as an interpreter. As someone interested in quite a few things, most of her leaves are dedicated to her hobbies. She does not pressure them on anyone else and enjoys them independently. Hannah, one of her work colleagues in her late thirties, out of the blue, asked her one day about her plans for the weekend. The interpreter politely replied that she would use her weekend to "shoot some arrows" and attend a "ballet class" on Sunday. All of these were her interests and she was not pressurizing or making anyone uncomfortable by pursuing them.

The reaction the interpreter got to her answer was quite unexpected. Hannah upon hearing her plans, squealed, "How many hobbies do you f**king have?" The swearing did not bother the interpreter as she knew Hannah had this habit, but the shock was out of place. Her hobbies and classes were not brand new information. In the past, when she was asked to go somewhere on weekends, the interpreter mentioned her classes. It implied that it was some form of ruse laid out by Hannah to put the interpreter in a spot and chastise her.

Hannah did not stop here and forced the woman to tell her about all her classes. To avoid more confrontation, she listed it off. The interpreter informed Hannah that she went to "Italian classes, ballet beginners classes, archery, pan flute classes and swimming." After knowing that despite all these classes she had not given up on volunteering, Hannah could not control herself from chiming in. She provided her unwanted opinion and said, "This is why you're single."

The interpreter did not appreciate this comment. She lived the way she wanted to and had never expressed disappointment over being single. It was her choice and she was content with it. This move of making her feel bad about it was a low blow and she promptly confronted Hannah about it. Rather than apologizing for her unnecessary comment, Hannah doubled down by saying that the interpreter was reliving her high school days and "no guy would want a woman that runs around in the woods with arrows."

The woman was disappointed and felt manipulated. It was clear that Hannah asked the questions not to know more about her but to criticize her. The interpreter decided not to take it silently and told Hannah to "f**k off." Apparently, Hannah did not take this kindly, as she felt such a response was unwarranted for her suggestions. "Now, she’s telling everyone what an a***ole I am and that she was only trying to give me advice because I’m immature and will be single forever if I don’t get my shit together," shared the woman. 

The comment section supported the Reddit user wholeheartedly. u/Heavy_Sand5228 criticized Hannah, "She's crossed the line both professionally and personally and it's important to try to nip that in the bud immediately and create a paper trail. Also, your hobbies sound super cool and anyone mocking them is probably jealous." 

u/JaiRenae believes Hannah is the one still stuck in school with her behavior, "As a co-worker, she had no right to pry so hard and pass judgment after giving unsolicited advice. As far as whining about OP being immature, it sounds like Hannah was looking at her own reflection. These are seriously middle school mean girl tactics."

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 6, 2023. It has since been updated.