Was I right or wrong?

[hkellick]

indigoskynet's last post reminded me of an incident from Sunday. And I want to ask someone else's opinion.

Kristen and I were at the Laurel Mall on Sunday. Kristen found a summer dress she liked and she wanted my opinion.
We head into the store, which is relatively quiet, Kristen grabs the dress and goes into the dressing room.
Now.. like many stores, the dressing room was a small hallway with four or five "cubicles" each "cut off" with a curtain of some sort.
Kristen motioned me into the dressing room to see in the full length mirror with her.

At the time she did so, the dressing area was empty except for her, and the store wasn't particularly busy.

I go into the dressing room, look at Kristen's dress (which got a big thumbs up from me) and gave her a squeeze and a kiss. As I finish the kiss, some tall lady comes in and says "Excuse me. Men aren't allowed in the dressing room." and then slides by.

I apologize quickly and leave the area, embarassed, but my embarassment quickly turns into anger because I felt that she was being rude. I wasn't doing anything wrong. Wasn't looking through the curtains for naked ladies or some such. I was in one of the "cubicles" with my girlfriend, at her request.

It may be helpful to note that, based on the expressions of the girl at the counter as we left, we suspect that this was a customer and not someone who worked there.

So, I ask you, my livejournal users. Who was more wrong?

[Poll #491178]

Comments

[phoenixsong]

I'd pick option D, actually -- I don't think either of you were particularly wrong. She was rude about it, no question -- she could have just asked you to leave -- but I can understand why some women would be upset by a guy in a dressing room, just as I can understand why you were upset by her way of expressing it.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Ditto this.

If it was empty at the time no harm done, and you were there on request. Your girlfriend, though, could've come out for a minute to show off for you.

But the woman didn't need to be so rude about it.

[phoenixsong]

I was being self-conscious -- I think I did come out briefly, but I'd asked lite for an honest second opinion because I didn't trust my own perception. (Yay body image issues s:P~)

[coderlemming.livejournal.com]

Right, yeah. I didn't see the option I wanted there... that maybe she was a little snippy, but not "very rude".

[kareila]

The last time I was in a dressing room was waiting for my sister to try on things. The women's dressing room had a line, so we went in the men's. I sat on a bench and watched the customers. Four out of five people in there were women, and the few men who came in were accompanied by girlfriends to give opinions on what looked good on them.

Yay double standards?

[lite.livejournal.com]

I can honestly say that hasn't happened much around me.
And, sadly, this double standards occurs often in all sorts of settings (the more likely scenario I've run into, especially at large events like concerts are women in the men's bathroom. This irks me, especially when there are huge lines as it is and most of the... I forget the name.. have women in them.)
I've only invited Kristen into the changing room once and it was while trying on different work shits. Most of the time, she can hold it up to just under my head and decide if she thinks it looks good.

[peachtess.livejournal.com]

Didn't pick one because its a matter of situration. For me personally if the dressing room has curtains instead of a door then I don't like men back there because those curtains never seem to close properly and always leave slits. I don't know the guys so I don't know if they are trustworthy or not. If it has doors then no problem. I usually have my husband stand near the dressing room so I can pop out really quick to ask him about something without actually inviting him in.

Now that said no one was in the dressing room area, doors or curtains aside, so you had every right to be in there. However the lady also had every right to ask you to leave if she didn't feel comfortable with you there.
I don't know what her tone was but if it was rude or angry she was wrong to use the tone.

[lite.livejournal.com]

It was a rude tone.
That's the part I couldn't convey in my post. I don't remember the exact words, but when I say "Excuse me." It wasn't a quiet "Hi, sorry to bother you, but.." it was more of a belligerant "Excuse ME"
To help you visualize, she was African American and she used the stereotypical african american woman tone. You know the one.
Sadly, those stereotypes live and breathe down here :p
Many of them are my neighbors :p