Joggers are advised to wear as little as possible when going for a run in Florida's extreme heat.
Ditto for pretty any form of outdoor exercise in the sunshine state.
Since nude running is not generally acceptable, wearing minimal clothing to allow for sweat evaporation to help cool the body should suffice.
But no matter the athletic outfit, there are wandering eyes and disapproving stares in our judgemental world.
So what can we do about it? Laugh it off and stay the course, of course.
Sadly, not everyone has the same sense of humor.
Redditor "skyblue847"—who ran in a sports bra one day—was confronted by a contentious other woman (OW) who asked if she got off on having the men working in their complex gawk at her during her exercise routine.
Sensing it would be useless to defend herself, the Original Poster (OP) joked that being ogled by the OW's husband was a huge turn on.
Her joke didn't land.
Now she's asking AITA (Am I the A**hole) after her mother pointed out her insensitivity.
"Okay, hear me out. I live in a complex that is built in a circle so its like a track. A lot of people use it to run, walk, etc. I've always used it to run/walk as well."
"I live in Florida so I usually wear leggings and a sports bra or a tank top. I literally only wear it because it's insanely hot here."
"This woman always gave me dirty looks when I'd walk by her apartment (she'd be sitting on her porch.) There are a few maintenance guys (not sure if that is the correct title for them - but that is what everyone calls them) that walk and ride around on golf carts throughout the day."
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The OP found out the reason behind the OW's sneer.
"I soon realized that the dirty look woman is married to one of the maintenance workers. I am always polite to them, but have never talked to them by any means."
"So, yesterday I was working out on the tennis court which is near their apartment. Her and her husband were sitting on the porch."
"She is giving me the dirtiest looks and is making me pretty uncomfortable but I try to ignore it."
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She speaks!
The jealous woman finally spoke and asked the burning question.
"Before I leave she says, 'Do you like get off on having the maintenance men check you out all day?' To which I replied, 'Actually yes it makes me super wet. They are what keeps my sex drive high.'"
"She looked shocked and her husband started laughing and then she smacked him on the arm."
"I came back and told my mom this story and she said I should be more sensitive and obviously the woman is insecure. Now I kinda feel bad. AITA?"
Redditors sided with the OP.
They discussed how jealousy is a bad look while denouncing cheating Significant Others (SO) .
"I hate women who assume other women are inherently 'competition' and blame women when their husbands/boyfriends/partners are the ones they're actually pissed at."
"Like, if this woman's husband is ogling OP while she works out that's on the husband, not OP." – caca_milis_
"In the same step, women who go after the 'other woman' (who often has no idea there is a 'main woman') when their SO cheats."
"Dump the a**hole, message the OW to get tested and reevaluate her choice in partner, move on with your f'king life."
"Bonus points if they go at the OW but stay with the cheater." – claustrofucked
"I mean, it really comes down to whether or not the OW knows she's the OW. If she doesn't know then you're right, there's no real merit at all to being nasty at her other than to vent."
"On the other hand, if she does know, well then I think it's fair game to have a go at her."
"Edit: to avoid having to repeat myself - yes, it is a bigger a**hole move for someone in a relationship to cheat. That doesn't absolve the OW."
'Anybody who knowingly gets with somebody who has a partner, but continues to do so just because they're having fun despite the certainty they'll cause a lot of pain for someone else is disgusting."
"People saying 'it only really matters if they're a friend or sibling because they owe you loyalty' are just f'king weird. It is absolutely worse if it was your friend, but just because I (apparently) don't owe it to strangers to not f'k their husbands doesn't make it okay."
"Sleeping with someone you know is in a relationship makes you a sh**ty person, regardless of whether or not it's your friend or sibling. Surely this is a bare minimum of basic decency?" – hooraloora
This Redditor shared her experience with infidelity and offered another perspective.
"My husband of 12 years had an affair where the OW 100% knew about me. And she knew I was in infertility treatments trying to have a baby while it was going on."
"However, what would having a go at her prove? All she won in this arrangement was a man who's clearly an adulterer. Me being crazy or mean or angry would make it far easier for her to think I 'deserved it.' It's like feeding a troll. They obviously got off on the drama of it all and I refuse to be dramatic."
"The best revenge I can enact on both of them is to give them the indifference they deserve and then be happy in my own life and be better off without them." – Mrs_crackshack
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"Even if she knows what are you going to accomplish by getting mad at her, going to fight her, or beat her, or anything of the sort?"
"Shes a sh**ty human being, yes, undeniable. But she had not obligation to you, and you're only wasting your energy by having a go at her. Your husband on the other way deserves all this hate, HE had a commitment to you."
"By blaming the OW you're kind of delegating the guilt. If your husband had tried to have sex with someone else but the woman refused, would you still consider it cheating even though there was no action?"
"Yes, because his intentions are the only one that matters."
"Unless the other woman or man is your parent, sibling or very close friend, even a family member. Then yes they both deserve your rage. Because it's someone who also betrayed your trust. A complete stranger owns you nothing." – chocolateco0kie
Sometimes there are unlikely allies.
"When I discovered my first husband cheating...I didn't blame the side chick until she said she knew he was married ( yes I called her back ;) )."
"I then asked her if she knew I was 7mos pregnant at the time...I could hear the shock in her silence."
"She came over, we had a nice chat, she helped me set my now ex straight. Short story is you never know what lies the cheater is feeding the Side chick."
"My ex was a master manipulator. No hard feelings for the side chick. I know she wasn't the first or last but I sure didn't stick around to see where he ended up either."
"All this to say u/claustrofucked I agree." – Ravenfox1
This is what an insecure person might see.
"If he's not standing there drooling then he's not doing anything wrong. I mean obviously when you see motion in your peripheral you have a natural reaction to see what it is, it's instinct."
"It also happens with members of the same sex, animals, vehicles, etc - but of course these type of partners never notice those."
"As soon as THEY naturally see the attractive person (aka the 'threat'), they just watch your face like a hawk, waiting for the moment your eyes naturally shift also, so they can give you sh*t about it."
"Cause that's what would help someone find you attractive again (if they ever actually stopped in the first place), starting a fight with them for having the sense of sight. /s"
"Insecure partners who aren't happy about how they look anymore read far more into things than what they really are. Honestly she's probably never even seen him look at her, she's just seen the woman out in the circle herself and is jealous that she doesn't still look like that anymore."
The OW should give her husband more credit.
"Yeah this woman's putting the responsibility on you to make sure her husbands eyes don't wander and there's only one person responsible for that and its him."
"I hate when women make it everyone else's responsibility to maintain their relationship or marriage." – LittlePocketMonster
The same user also commented on the sunshine state's intense climate dictating what to wear when jogging.
"Also, I live in Florida as well. When I go jogging I usually don't use a shirt at all (male), and it's definitely not cause I'm showing off - I'm a Dad and it's not like I'm chiseled. I just don't want to die from heat exhaustion or have a funky tan." – SuttonX
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"Fellow Floridian, also run, wear capri leggings and tank tops/sports bras when I do. It's been hot af here since March, people, like 90 F and humid. It's not vanity, it's survival." – jams1015
Just when we thought that outdoor exercising would be like a breath of fresh air during the lockdown, unwelcome encounters like this can get stale real fast.
If your sense of humor aligns with this fitness fan, this hat is available here.
@priscillachan/Instagram