renee_n_3000
Active Member
Hi ladies. I have two questions about this.
If someone says this (and only this) to you, do you consider it a compliment?
Or, if you say this to someone, do you mean it as a compliment and expect the person to say "thank you" in response, even if you do not add something like "it's pretty" or another statement that makes it clear that you really meant it as a compliment? Are you just making a general, observational statement for which no particular response is expected?
The reason I ask is that I get this comment from time to time and it happened again tonight. I was in a store and got into the check-out line. The man in front of me turned around and said, "Wow, you've got some long hair!" I just laughed and smiled at him. He also said, "go ahead," and waived me in front of him in line. So then I said, "thank you," in response to that nice gesture, not his comment about my hair.
In these situations, I usually wonder afterwards if I responded in the 'right' manner. I never think it's appropriate for me to say "Thank you," because the person was not actually complimenting me or my hair, and it would be presumptuous of me to assume that they were. Really, all they are doing is making a general observation. If they also say "It's so pretty" or "You're pretty" or something along those lines, that is obviously a compliment and I will automatically thank them. But a general statement about the length is just like saying "Wow, your hair is dark brown" or "The sky is blue."
But, the thing is, sometimes after a person makes a "your hair is long" comment, without adding anything else, they then stare at you expectantly, like they feel they've just given a compliment and they expect you to say thank you. So, I'm not sure if that's what they are expecting. I don't want to inadvertently insult someone by not thanking them for something they feel is a compliment. But the thing is, for all I know, they may be thinking, "and you really should cut it" or something, so I can't just assume they meant it nicely unless they actually make it clear to me that they did.
So, I was just curious as to what you ladies think of these situations. Do you feel one should be presumptuous and say "thank you," or just treat it as the generalized observation it is by just smiling and nodding like I usually do. Sometimes I will say, "Yes, I just do light trims" or "Yeah, I haven't cut it short in a while," or something like that if I think of it. That way I'm acknowledging the comment but not automatically assuming they were complimenting me. Usually the person then adds something about it being pretty, etc., and, of course, I thank them.
If someone says this (and only this) to you, do you consider it a compliment?
Or, if you say this to someone, do you mean it as a compliment and expect the person to say "thank you" in response, even if you do not add something like "it's pretty" or another statement that makes it clear that you really meant it as a compliment? Are you just making a general, observational statement for which no particular response is expected?
The reason I ask is that I get this comment from time to time and it happened again tonight. I was in a store and got into the check-out line. The man in front of me turned around and said, "Wow, you've got some long hair!" I just laughed and smiled at him. He also said, "go ahead," and waived me in front of him in line. So then I said, "thank you," in response to that nice gesture, not his comment about my hair.
In these situations, I usually wonder afterwards if I responded in the 'right' manner. I never think it's appropriate for me to say "Thank you," because the person was not actually complimenting me or my hair, and it would be presumptuous of me to assume that they were. Really, all they are doing is making a general observation. If they also say "It's so pretty" or "You're pretty" or something along those lines, that is obviously a compliment and I will automatically thank them. But a general statement about the length is just like saying "Wow, your hair is dark brown" or "The sky is blue."
But, the thing is, sometimes after a person makes a "your hair is long" comment, without adding anything else, they then stare at you expectantly, like they feel they've just given a compliment and they expect you to say thank you. So, I'm not sure if that's what they are expecting. I don't want to inadvertently insult someone by not thanking them for something they feel is a compliment. But the thing is, for all I know, they may be thinking, "and you really should cut it" or something, so I can't just assume they meant it nicely unless they actually make it clear to me that they did.
So, I was just curious as to what you ladies think of these situations. Do you feel one should be presumptuous and say "thank you," or just treat it as the generalized observation it is by just smiling and nodding like I usually do. Sometimes I will say, "Yes, I just do light trims" or "Yeah, I haven't cut it short in a while," or something like that if I think of it. That way I'm acknowledging the comment but not automatically assuming they were complimenting me. Usually the person then adds something about it being pretty, etc., and, of course, I thank them.
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