Holding Handbags While On Bus
I don't know about the rest of you, but I am sick and tired of people getting on the bus, and keeping their bags on their shoulders. Tonight, I got on the M16 bus, and this fat lady had a bag on her shoulders. People tried to get by but because she was fat and had a big bag to, people had to push others out of the way. When her time came to get off, I yelled back at her to take her bag off next time she gets in the bus. She just gave me a mean look.
You guys talk about rude people in another forum. There is not a day that goes by I don't see a rude person. And it really irritates me to.
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You guys talk about rude people in another forum. There is not a day that goes by I don't see a rude person. And it really irritates me to.
87 Comments
uptowngirl
2yrs+
@hhusted more than handbags I think I find full bag packs most irritating. Folks who use them should hold them in their hands while getting on the subway /bus not keep them firmly planted on their backs for they take up the space of two people especially in a crowded subway.
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
Where else are you supposed to keep your bag? I am always worried about people reaching into my bag and stealing stuff - sorry but my bag is staying tight on my shoulders, especially if I have to stand on public transport. I guess when I am sitting I wrap the straps around my arms and keep it in my lap - is that what you mean?
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
A crowded subway car just sucks, no matter whether someone keeps their bag on their shoulder or not. It's true that I'd just watch for the security of my bag first, and worry about everybody else's convenience second. I mean, some people have big butts that I wish they would take off and stow out of the way, but really we all have to just deal with each other, and tight uncomfortable crowds are just a hazard of being in this city.
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JenMac
2yrs+
I agree. You have to bring a big bag with you because, often enough, you have to take an entire day's worth of crap with you. A lot of times, I have my laptop in my bag (along with the rest of my life) and I am not relinquishing control of where that sucker is in relation to my person.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@Neversleeps Even I carry a big bag but I don't sling it on my shoulders because it gets in the way of people so i sling on my forearm so its near my legs and not so obtrusive. Some backpack wearers keeps their big , fully loaded backpacks between their shoulder blades and create an obstruction on the train. Moreover carrying a backpack like that on the subway is not particularly safe in fact once when I was on a packed no.5 train a man was pick pocketed in front of me as he had his back pack on his back and someone reached in and opened it and nicked his wallet.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: With all due respect, keeping a bag on the shoulders is an act of rudeness. Even a bus driver told me that. Those who do it take up a lot of space, as Uptowngirl said. Don't worry. Having your pocketbook by your side is not going to hurt. If you zip the bag, no one will touch it. If you don't do it, you will have the brunt of dirty looks and yelling.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Everybody: Well people, I am not like the rest of you. If I am in among a lot of people, I will take my handbag off my shoulder and hold it next to me. The only time I will keep it on my shoulder is when I am on the back of the bus and no one is around.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I am with NeverSleeps and Uraniumfish on this one - bag security first, everyone else's space second. Deal with it, everyone else.
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
If it makes you feel better, @hhusted, I keep my shoulder bag close to my body to protect it from strange people on the subway/bus. I doubt that it gets in the way of too many people. It's not like I hold it out in the walkway so that people are bound to run into it. The idea is actually to keep it away from people.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: Good idea. The main thing is letting people get by you without too many obstacles. I was on the bus tonight when this man had a bag on his back. People kept asking him to take it off so they could get by. He refused and gave them a dirty look. Finally, one of the passengers went up to the bus driver and told him about it. The bus driver stopped the bus at the next stop, got out of his chair, went to the guy, and told him to take the bag off, or he would have to be removed from the bus. The man said something to the bus driver and was told to get off the bus. Instead of doing that, he moved all the way to the back of the bus and sat down at an empty seat. After that the bus driver took off and everything was back to normal.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I have never seen or heard of anyone asking another passenger to move their belongings. That seems kind of rude to me for some reason. Is it really such a horrible thing if I accidentally touch someone with my bag? Jeez.
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@hhusted Did that really happen? That seems kind of insane - don't people have better things to worry about than a guy who is taking up a foot of space with a backpack?
@everyone And I'd like to point out that no matter where your put your belongings, they are still going to take up the same amount of precious space. This is just one of those things that you have to put up with when living in a city and I never even imagined that something like a handbag could be such an issue at all - it never crosses my mind or bothers me when I see a lot of people with shopping bags or luggage or little backpacks on the train because such things are NORMAL.
@everyone And I'd like to point out that no matter where your put your belongings, they are still going to take up the same amount of precious space. This is just one of those things that you have to put up with when living in a city and I never even imagined that something like a handbag could be such an issue at all - it never crosses my mind or bothers me when I see a lot of people with shopping bags or luggage or little backpacks on the train because such things are NORMAL.
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
I'm glad I have a small messenger bag. Zippable, the right size for my netbook and wallet and things, and easy to hold close to my side...
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JenMac
2yrs+
I agree @Neversleeps. It seems like an awful lot of fuss for an issue of a handbag / backpack. Doesn't everyone have enough to stress about on the bus ride / subway? Like, not having the crap beat out of you on the platform, for example.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
@JenMac Seriously.
@NeverSleeps Agreed. The train is a form of public transport, and sometimes when people are transporting they need to bring stuff with them - sometimes a lot of stuff. I think we should just deal with the people who are loaded up with stuff, since one day it will probably be us loaded up with stuff.
@NeverSleeps Agreed. The train is a form of public transport, and sometimes when people are transporting they need to bring stuff with them - sometimes a lot of stuff. I think we should just deal with the people who are loaded up with stuff, since one day it will probably be us loaded up with stuff.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps nobody makes a fuss on the train /bus and everyone (me included) deals with the lack of space on the train/bus .. this forum is just for venting about minor/major irritants about daily life in NYC why I even find those god awful bubble gum chewers irritating.. am sure you know the ones that I mean who blow big bubbles and then go 'thwat' ' thwat' with the gum in their mouths. most annoying but till date I have never said anything to anybody who does this on the train.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
@uptowngirl Did you not see the story hhusted told above about a bus driver who stopped the bus because of a guy wearing a backpack?
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@JenMac Yeah, I'm generally happy I get home in one piece even when I ride the trains at all hours of the night. Complaining that much about a bag is small change in my universe of worries.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK and @NeverSleeps: The incident actually happened. It caused a small delay with the bus. I nearly missed catching the D train. The man was obviously rude and an idiot. When I got off my stop, some people got out and we were talking about the situation. I can understand if the bag was light and can be held close to the body, but this guy had so much stuff in his bag that it literally took up the length of the aisle.
The bus driver asked him why he didn't want to remove it from his back. He said it was too much trouble to put back on, since it was very heavy.
The bus driver asked him why he didn't want to remove it from his back. He said it was too much trouble to put back on, since it was very heavy.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK oops I didnt see that post...I was just referring to my experiences where people look and curse beneath their breath at the offender , have yet to see someone tossed off a bus / train for carrying a heavy back pack.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: Get on a bus long enough, you begin to see all kinds of things.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@hhusted I think I get on my local bus the M79 quite regularly as the subway is quite a walk from my home but I have yet to see anything like you described .. who knows maybe someday?
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
I've seen my fair share of fights on the M86 - more verbal than physical, though, I must say...
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
@uptowngirl I figured.
@everyone I've never seen anything too crazy on all my days of taking public transport. And I didn't always drive, so it's not like I haven't had plenty of opportunity.
I once saw a crazy gay Asian dude flog himself with one of those key chains you wear around your neck whilst yelling (in broken English) at some young women who were obviously from New York to go back to Africa. (Can't remember if I told that story before or not, sorry if it's a repeat.) I thought they were going to kill him - I definitely would've put my money on them - but Flushing rolled around and I had to get off the train. Later I saw the same crazy Asian dude on Bogart street, wearing a sheet like a toga and some lovely flowers in his hair.
Also some really scary drunken dude yelled at me for no apparent reason, which I once blogged about extensively. It was actually the last personal blog posting I ever wrote: http://grayisnotyourcolor.blogspot.com/2009/04/subway-adventure-no-764a.html
@everyone I've never seen anything too crazy on all my days of taking public transport. And I didn't always drive, so it's not like I haven't had plenty of opportunity.
I once saw a crazy gay Asian dude flog himself with one of those key chains you wear around your neck whilst yelling (in broken English) at some young women who were obviously from New York to go back to Africa. (Can't remember if I told that story before or not, sorry if it's a repeat.) I thought they were going to kill him - I definitely would've put my money on them - but Flushing rolled around and I had to get off the train. Later I saw the same crazy Asian dude on Bogart street, wearing a sheet like a toga and some lovely flowers in his hair.
Also some really scary drunken dude yelled at me for no apparent reason, which I once blogged about extensively. It was actually the last personal blog posting I ever wrote: http://grayisnotyourcolor.blogspot.com/2009/04/subway-adventure-no-764a.html
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@BroadwayBk youre brave girl!! I would have been scared out of my wits..
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Brave girl...and nice picture, by the way!
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Found that story kind of amusing...sorry?
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adhthagreat
2yrs+
I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets notices these things!
This one girl walked into the subway with a bag that was about.. maybe.. 4 times the size of her head. She was bumping into every person there.. including me. I couldn't help but laugh actually. She was cute and clueless though, so I just gave her a smile and let it slide.
I've seen handbags get bigger and bigger these days.. girls are just so complicated huh?
I've actually been collecting pictures of my girlfriend's bag from year to year.. Each year it grows and grows.. it likes its own living being.. It also tends to suck up a lot money though.. Anyways off topic!
Yeah I hope to give people the benefit of the doubt and just say they have too much on their mind and don't realize what they're doing.. but maybe thats not always the case.
This one girl walked into the subway with a bag that was about.. maybe.. 4 times the size of her head. She was bumping into every person there.. including me. I couldn't help but laugh actually. She was cute and clueless though, so I just gave her a smile and let it slide.
I've seen handbags get bigger and bigger these days.. girls are just so complicated huh?
I've actually been collecting pictures of my girlfriend's bag from year to year.. Each year it grows and grows.. it likes its own living being.. It also tends to suck up a lot money though.. Anyways off topic!
Yeah I hope to give people the benefit of the doubt and just say they have too much on their mind and don't realize what they're doing.. but maybe thats not always the case.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@andthagreat youre right about handbags becoming bigger and bigger and more expensive too but i find when you are out and about in NYC , you always have to carry so much stuff around that having a big handbag is almost essential ...:)
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
I tend to err on the side of small, @uptowngirl - I barely fill a normal-to-small sized backpack (not one of those big camping ones) when I go away for two weeks!
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Everybody: I haven't had any bad bag experiences lately. I guess it is because I haven't been on the bus as much. But the last time I did get on a bus, one lady came on with a handbag and removed it.
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@ajadedidealist You just slip your Kindle into any old bag and go, huh? :)
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Everybody: I just bought my girlfriend a small bag, and she loves it. She carries it with her everywhere now. It has a long strap so she puts it over her shoulder. And it is so small it doesn't get in anyone's way.
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JenMac
2yrs+
I'm an old school jansport kid. I don't know how anyone gets away with not having a backpack. I feel like every time I leave the house, I'm gone for 12 hour stints. Friggin New York City. . . .
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@ajadedidealist I can never back light! I always have what if scenarios? in my head, for my four day break I have backed a suitcase to the gills...similarly in NYC I have to tote around a biggish handbag for the stuff I seem to 'need' when on the go...
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I am one of those girls with a huge bag... It really can't be helped, at least in my case. But more power to you, @ajadedidealist, for being able to travel lightly.
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
Haha, thanks @BroadwayBK (although I always thought you were a guy before this post!) I tend to pack everything I need on a few electronics! And then I reuse clothes - as long as I can wash them in a sink or something, I'm happy!
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@everybody So, on the all-important handbag topic...someone please instruct me on this: brown shoes and black bag are not allowed, right? I'm trying to become one of those women who wears a handbag, but since I have had very little practice in this, I'm still kinda inept...
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@ajadeidealist Funny, considering BroadwayBK's body of posting around the topic of acupuncture and men (hah!) I would never have mistaken her for anything but a girl...
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: I am not into color coordination. I have no idea about colors. Black and brown are not my ideal colors anyway. My favorite colors are blue, red, and green.
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eva91709
2yrs+
When I ride on public transportation, my bag is either on my shoulder or held tightly between my knees. I do not like when people are so close in proximity, it's nerve-wracking.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish nowadays anything seems to go.. I usually wear black shoes and recently with much trepidation bought a deep chocolate brown Furla handbag. I was thinking of buying some chocolate brown shoes to go with it when i noticed that many women in NYC carry around brown bags while wearing black shoes( all those LouisVuitton and Fendi handle bags are all brown)so gave up the idea and I now walk around with my brown bag and black shoes.
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JenMac
2yrs+
@uraniumfish: I say do whatever the hell you want! People whom are constantly lauded for being trendsetters / stylish seem to break just about every rule in the book.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@uptowngirl and @JenMac: I do not follow trends or fads. I wear what I want when I want. Nobody can tell me how to dress.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@hhusted that's the way to go...you live in NYC you can do what you please and wear what you want to...
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
I say brown shoes work with a black bag as long as you think it looks okay. I'll wear black with brown and sometimes I'll wear black with navy blue... just don't wear all three together? Might be a little much. So yeah... my rule of thumb is as long as it looks good, it works.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I have a several handbags for nights out on the town purposes only - several so I will never have to wear brown with black or blue with black, unless it somehow looks okay. Which it sometimes does.... But that's just me.
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@ Hadbag advice: Yeah, see, I'm getting there slowly. Building up the collection so that it always matches. Like I said, being somewhat inadequate in certain girl areas, some things look good to me that other girls would say are totally unallowed. I've got one handbag I totally dig right now (I have phases) which doesn't technically match anything else I own, and have wondered if I'm just too fond of it to see the fashion mistakes I'm making.
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
Oh, and by the way, I never obsessed like this when I lived in Europe. It's being a New Yorker that makes me so self-conscious. People care about the smallest things here, and I think it rubs off.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I agree! New Yorkers are some of the most well groomed folk on this planet!
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish Did you ever live in Paris? I was much more style-aware when I was living there than here. I also think people are better dressed there... but probably that's more of an opinion than an observation.
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
Wow, lots of us have lived in Paris! I did too! I find that Parisians are less "done up" than NY-ers, but manage to be more "stylish" because the "smart-casual" thing is done so perfectly there - here, it's either grungey or super-made-up...also, the effortless arragnement of a perfect scarf....
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Yeah, I lived in Paris when I was about 20, but I was too bookish to care about style at the time. Not that I didn't have style, judging by all the "drageurs" who would try to talk to me in cafes. Geez! They really lay that on thick in Paris like nowhere else! I was so so so unimpressed by French men, but at least I got some validation that I was attractive enough no matter what I wore...
Funny to say, but people here tell me that I dress like a French woman, which I guess I'll take as a very good compliment!
Funny to say, but people here tell me that I dress like a French woman, which I guess I'll take as a very good compliment!
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JenMac
2yrs+
I lived in Paris too! Maybe it's just me but I don't really like the polished look. I always admire the New Yorkers with the unmatched, funky sort of vibe. It's pulled off here unlike any other place.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@everyone what I love about New Yorkers is that they have individuality be it weird and whacky, sleek and sophisticated or just plain preppy , I have not lived in Paris but have spent months on end in London and I much prefer the NY look to the super trendy , much sought after London street look...
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: You are right about the way people dress in NY. I have seen some weird looking people in this city.
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@uptowngirl Funny, one of my German friends visiting last year had a big outburst one day about how everyone in New York dresses the same. But I guess she didn't go to Brooklyn.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I certainly dont think all NYkers dress the same an uptown dweller definitely dresses quite differently from someone who lives and socializes mainly downtown or at places in the LES? dont you think so? This is the main reason why I love to people watch in this city people are turned out so differently and are an endless source of inspiration ..at least I think so..
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: Yeah, it seems that wherever you go in this city, you find people dress differently. That is really refreshing. I think if people dressed the same, they would be boring.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
@Uraniumfish Yeah, I definitely do not agree with your German friend.... And I was not at all impressed by French men, either. I've never been stalked so much in my entire life.
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
I think she was only here briefly and was mainly in Midtown, so she saw a lot of suits I guess.
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Oh, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks French men are the most lecherous species alive. Yeesh. I couldn't walk down the street without some dude saying, "But don't you want some company, mademoiselle."
Bleh. Brings back the most annoying memories.
Bleh. Brings back the most annoying memories.
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DBlack
2yrs+
French men aside, I would say I'm very very partial to the French women! I wonder why the difference is so big?
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@DBlack Vive la différence!
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DBlack
2yrs+
I meant, why the difference in the appeal of French women, as opposed to French men...
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@DBlack you and whole legion of men that I know seem to think French women are incredibly coquette and thus highly desirable..
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@DBlack I know?
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
Lots of European men have offered the information that they think American women are un-erotic (and then of course were quick to say that I' wasn't one of those kinds of american women). They were always talking about Amrican women and their formless T shirts and baseball caps, I guess there are a lot of them that travel abroad dressed that way. Maybe the allure of French women is they dress very feminine.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I didn't dress that way when I traveled abroad - I was actually often mistaken for a Frenchie whilst living in Paris. Must be my fabulous shoe and scarf collection. Anyway... a lot of French men seemed to think that - despite their un-alluring wardrobes - American women were "easy."
Anyway, I think that French men are so unappealing because they come on too strongly - that is a generalization, of course. I don't think a French woman would be caught dead running down the street to try and get into bed with someone she saw walking down the street? They're different birds completely.
Anyway, I think that French men are so unappealing because they come on too strongly - that is a generalization, of course. I don't think a French woman would be caught dead running down the street to try and get into bed with someone she saw walking down the street? They're different birds completely.
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ajadedidealist
2yrs+
Weird - English guys have this weird thing for American women - most English guys I know here find my American accent "sexy!" and American girls have the reputation of being promiscuous rather than "un-erotic" Not sure which is worse, though...
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hhusted
2yrs+
@Ajadedidealist: Interesting comments and viewpoint. Compared to American men and English men, how do they differ? Do American men hold an advantage? Who in your opinion is better?
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JenMac
2yrs+
English guys have a thing for American women? Well, I guess I know where I ought to vacation . . . because I have a thing for English guys. :)
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Uraniumfish
2yrs+
I guess I'm just all about the American guy, whatever his faults may be. French guys are icky and have awful teeth, and German guys are way way too complicated. At least I have a sense that I more or less understand American men. Culture differences have really gotten in the way in past relationships.
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
I think accents are sexy no matter who you are or where you live - it's just exciting to hear someone pronounce your language differently than you are used to hearing.
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hhusted
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: I like the Australian accents a lot. When I talk to someone from Australia, they have an interesting way of expressing themselves.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps that's a refreshing attitude..there are people who can be really mean about the Indian accent .. met two such women at a party in NYC a couple of years ago and they were all snotty and uptight.. not that they were from Manhattan or anything but from some small town in NJ!
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NeverSleeps
2yrs+
@uptowngirl It takes a certain amount of ignorance to belittle someone for their accent; those snot faces had probably never seriously attempted to learn a second language in their snotty lives!
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@NeverSleeps Thanks!
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JenMac
2yrs+
Speaking of belittling people because of their accents: the New Jersey accent is god awful. So, they have little room to say anything.
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
Ha...@JenMac American accents aren't my favorite thing, but then again lots of Brits seem to love them. It's one of those questions of perspective I suppose.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@BroadwayBK and I also think Americans love the British accent .. see the amount of Brits on US TV don't recall seeing that many Americans on British TV.
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JenMac
2yrs+
I must confess, I do so love the British accent. I know, I know . . . . get some originality.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@JenMac I have a fondness for the authentic Spanish accent.. from places like Barcelona ..maybe it should be Catalan accent ..a bit bizarre no?
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JenMac
2yrs+
Yeah, I can see that. Spain Spanish is pretty sexy. It's the Mexi Spanish that I'm not too fond of.
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uptowngirl
2yrs+
@JenMac me too!
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BroadwayBK
2yrs+
I think you guys are talking about the sing-song-y norteño accent, which isn't heard in all of Mexico...
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JenMac
2yrs+
@Broadway: of course not, it's a big country. But, it's definitely the more common accent of Mexicans in Los Angeles. So, it's the one you hear the most.
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