Are You Checking Me Out?

I realize none of you can actually answer this question (unless you are the men in town who do this) but just to throw this out there about the "general" sentiment on this...

I feel like everyone is checking me out.   

I've noticed several men here who seem to stare directly into my eyes when I'm walking, or turn their heads (or entire bodies) to look at me when I walk by.  OK...I'm definitely not hot enough to warrant all that attention based solely on looks and because it's freezing cold and usually raining, my entire body is completely covered in somewhat frumpy, oversized waterproof clothing (so it's not even like they can see my butt - or anything else - when they watch me walk away).  So I (cautiously) mentioned this to my hubby and he said that perhaps they heard my accent and where intrigued...but the fact is that this has only happened when I'm out by myself...and I don't talk to myself (not aloud anyway) so I don't think that's the case.  Then I thought maybe it was because this is a small village and they were intrigued because they just knew I was "the American"...but it even happened to me when I went into Wakefield and Barnsley (where I wouldn't be recognized as "the American").  This has happened on about 5 or 6 separate occasions.  I'm trying to figure out if these men are trying to hit on me or if this is just something in the British culture.  I've never seen men be so blatantly obvious about checking a woman out which is why I tend to think it's something else (like my clothes look funny or I have broccolli stuck in my teeth).

Not to say it isnt happening, but I cant say I've never noticed this even when a super hot girl walks by.... My honest guess would be that you are feeling a bit self conscious and out of place by being in a new environment and are over-sensitive about people looking at you.  Maybe?

Could be a Yorkshire thing. When I'm out and about, if I pass by men they will usually look at me and say hello to me. In New York City, if a strange man said hello to me I would think he was hitting on me and purposely ignore him. Here, I've been reprimanded by my husband for not saying "hello" back to the strange  men who say hello to me.

Are you catching their eyes? I noticed that when I first moved here I would always look at passerbys eyes. In AZ, if you're walking down the street, you always said hello to whoever you passed by. So you always looked at the eyes. Here, they don't do that. If you catch someones eye, you always look away quickly as if embarassed or you just stare straight ahead.

I wonder if you're inadvertently sending out the wrong signals by catching their eye?

Are you catching their eyes? I noticed that when I first moved here I would always look at passerbys eyes. In AZ, if you're walking down the street, you always said hello to whoever you passed by. So you always looked at the eyes. Here, they don't do that. If you catch someones eye, you always look away quickly as if embarassed or you just stare straight ahead.

I wonder if you're inadvertently sending out the wrong signals by catching their eye?

I was just thinking that too. I grew up here and I've never noticed men looking into my eyes or turning to look at me when I walk past them, but then I tend to avoid eye contact when I'm out walking anyway, so I probably wouldn't even notice if they were looking at me .

Maybe they're looking into your eyes because you're looking at them first? (i.e. if you weren't looking at them in the first place, how would you know that they were looking directly at you?). It could be that they're looking at you because they think you're looking at them (and if you're walking on your own, without your husband, they might be thinking you're single and possibly interested) .

Maybe they're just being friendly. In both of the places I've lived in the UK, it would be considered rude not to make eye contact and say hello (or at least nod hello) at someone when you pass them.

In your wee town, it's you are a new face. Perhaps.
But it could also be that you appear to have an attractive face and head full of thick hair (going by your avatar) and frumpy or not doesn't stop the facial/head appeal.

As a man, I like to cast a glance a pretty face regardless of the body it is attached to. But I tend to look at men's faces as well. Faces are interesting. People are intersting. I do tend to make eye contact with men and woman. In a city, things are different.

But these are glances. Occasionally a person may require a few discrete glances.    A stare I would consider offensive and would not tend to do that as staring is something kids, weirdos and creepy men do.

Now if I were with a male friend, things are a little different as men in packs of 2 or more do tend to be more observant of the fairer species. But even then staring is still a no-no.

But on the other side of the coin, I do find people tend to look at me, maybe because I looked at them? It could be the head full of long grey hair, my infectious smile, my raccoon black bags, or my wonderfully good looks   

Some people are lookers, others are not.

In your wee town, it's you are a new face. Perhaps.

Wakefield isn't that small a city.

But it's probably just because she is a lot prettier than those already there.

Maybe they're just being friendly. In both of the places I've lived in the UK, it would be considered rude not to make eye contact and say hello (or at least nod hello) at someone when you pass them.

Yes. This is what I have experienced living in York. Very different than what I experienced  living in New York City, where making eye contact and nodding or saying hello to a stranger would be treated as treading on personal space.

I think its a mixture if both. Ive just moved to a village on the isle of wight and everone says hello to everyone. Now whilst this is good i would always say hello to people i fancied (or was checking out) when i was living in a town or a city so now no one realises im checking them out...

It was me, I was looking at you wondering why you weren't on here anymore!

Been wondering how you were getting on in Ryhill!

My husband tends to check out girls (not in a lascivious sort of way, mind!) if he has never seen them before. He has lived here his whole life, and it's a small village, so he just looks to see if it's anyone he knows, or probably is just wondering who they are. Or so he says... LOL. He does look at guys, too, if he has never noticed them before, but mostly girls, because, well, he's a guy, and I think women stand out more than men you haven't seen before because of different hairstyles, etc. It may be that.
I felt like that a bit when I first moved here, but I think I was just a bit self-conscious of being new in town. 

I think being self-conscious has a lot to do with it.  Maybe I really am a super-hot drop-dead gorgeous hottie and I never noticed people checking me out before (ok this comment is oooooozing with sarcasm!!).  I guess when you are a "stranger" in a new place, you do tend to pay more attention to how others are perceiving you.  I just didn't know if this was a cultural thing that I was supposed to acknowledge (or not acknowledge).

As for the 2 different people that were staring in my eyes, it was in ASDA (great place to hit on women, huh?) and I actually turned around because I felt like someone was staring at me, then they just held my gaze.  I found it kinda strange because to me it was more than just "making eye contact".

My husband tends to check out girls (not in a lascivious sort of way, mind!) if he has never seen them before. He has lived here his whole life, and it's a small village, so he just looks to see if it's anyone he knows, or probably is just wondering who they are. Or so he says... LOL.

Yeah, that's the kind of stuff we say when you catch us. 

I feel like everyone is checking me out.

It happens to me, too, all the time. Aren't we lucky?