Compliment or not?

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MeeshKB
MeeshKB Posts: 120 Member
in Motivation and Support
The following happened to me at work today. Do you think I was paid a compliment or not?

Coworker: Michelle, when I saw you standing over there talking to Joe, I totally thought you were Jennifer! (Jennifer is an exceedingly tall and thin girl who also works with us).

Me: Ooooh...that makes me feel tall! (I am 5'9", but Jennifer is at least 6'.)

Coworker: And slim!

At first I was like, "Oh, isn't that nice." And then I was like, "Waaaaaaait a minute...."

To be clear, I am comfortable with myself and regardless of how she meant it, I choose to take it as a compliment. I actually relate this story to some other coworkers because I thought it was funny. But out of curiosity, what do you think?

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  • RedHeadDevotchka
    RedHeadDevotchka Posts: 1,394 Member
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    Compliment. The fact that she added "And slim" in there meant that she thought you looked slim. yay :drinker:
  • MeeshKB
    MeeshKB Posts: 120 Member
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    Yeah, I think that's how she meant it. But I thought it was kind of funny the way it came out. :-)
  • Caz104
    Caz104 Posts: 62 Member
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    TOTALLY a compliment! :smile:
  • GeekGirlRunning
    GeekGirlRunning Posts: 20
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    You have to take it as a compliment otherwise you'll drive yourself nuts. I totally get what you're saying though. When people compliment me I definitely get very embarrassed and then think "so I looked like crap before?"
  • jensedun
    jensedun Posts: 20 Member
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    Well, it could be considered a backhanded compliment...you know, like the infamous, "gee, for a fat girl, you sure don't sweat much!" kind of compliment. This is the problem with losing weight, isn't it? Any compliment to our new look kind of feels like a slam against the way we looked before.
  • sappyoldlady
    sappyoldlady Posts: 49 Member
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    It's funny how we take compliments sometimes....my husband says that I really need to learn how to take them...I'm always analyzing them LOL..sounds like u too!
  • serf3469
    serf3469 Posts: 7 Member
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    Hey there, if you feel it is positive, then stay positive, no need to be offended or getting the idea of insensitivity. You are 5 foot 9 and she was 6 foot, some people have no concept of height or weight, for instance I like older woman, and often confuse them for being 30 when they are really in their 40s, so take the compliment and feel slim, tall and happy for the day.

    Take Care
    Brian
  • MeeshKB
    MeeshKB Posts: 120 Member
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    Oh, I totally wasn't offended. I just thought it was funny because I don't think she realized how it sounded.

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