A woman was left horrified when a lecturer made a horrendous 11-word comment about her that was totally uncalled for – but she stuck up for herself in the momentHe made a cruel comment about her (Stock Image)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)When you’re at university, you’ll likely deal with lots of lecturers, and in seminars and smaller study groups, you’ll probably get the opportunity to have constructive chats and debates with them about whichever topic you’re studying. However, when one woman’s professor made an inappropriate 11-word comment about her, she felt she had no choice but to complain about him.
She explained she was in the class as part of a “side subject” she was studying along with people from other courses, and the topic of conversation changed to “appearances,” and “how it affects someone’s personality.” “It was all okay until he started pointing out each of us and talked about how we looked,” the woman explained.
He went around the different people in the room, saying that they looked “okay, nothing wrong,” saying “you’re absolutely fine” to someone. But when he got to the original poster, his comment was cutting.
“Oh, you’re… ok. Jog a little… you look depressing and sad,” he said to her – and she was left floored, saying it was “awkward”.
She said that she’d never been anything but “cheerful and respectful” to this lecturer, and she said his comment was “humiliating”.
“I am pretty overweight, and I don’t mind criticism. But this was, in my opinion, uncalled for. Out of anger and humiliation, I replied with ‘my looks and body weight don’t define how I actually am, should not be anyone’s or your concern’,” she shared.
However, after she said that to him, she was left wondering whether she’d taken things too far, saying that she felt “terrible” for talking back to him.
But people reassured the woman that she’d done nothing wrong, referring to him as “wildly inappropriate” for the comment he’d made about the way she looked.
One fumed: “He needs to understand the gravity of saying something like that—that’s the kind of dangerous comment that can lead to disordered eating or other self-harm.
“I’m so sorry—that was humiliating, I’m sure, and just a cruel thing to say. You were honestly much more polite in your response to him than I could have been.
“You put him in his place. I’m very glad you’re reporting it. I’m wondering if any of the other students there would back you up if he doesn’t admit to what he said?”
Another added: “Just because someone’s a professor doesn’t mean they get to say whatever they want without consequences. You stood up for yourself, and that’s nothing to feel bad about”.
Someone else shared: “I teach at a University. That’s so inappropriate that I recommend you report him”. Another Redditor agreed: “He needed to be put in his place; he probably was a little embarrassed, but who cares? Kudos for sticking up for yourself!”
One woman raged: “F**k that abusive professor. Professors around their students sometimes act like they’re gods, but they’re not. They don’t know everything; they know a lot about one single thing, but can get away with abusive s**t like this because students look up to them.
“I’m enraged for you. The professor had no right to try to humiliate you that way or comment on your body at all. I’m impressed you were able to say something in the moment; I probably would have cried or laughed it off and regretted it later. Good for you for what you said. Report the professor”.