(I am 24 and a student not living with my parents. It is Christmas time and my mother asks me to go to the laundry shop to a pick a Christmas tablecloth she had dropped there the week before. I have always looked younger than my age.)

Me: “I’m here to pick up this.” *gives the ticket*

Worker: “Hmm. I can’t find it. Maybe the paper fell. You don’t know what the tablecloth looks like, do you?”

Me: “No. It was my mother that dropped it off last week; she just gave me the paper.”

Another Customer: “This youth nowadays! What a lack of respect! What are you? Fourteen? You should know what you have at home! You’re only mooching from your parents! Only want to have fun!”

Me: *with a deadpan face* “I’m actually 24, and I don’t live with my parents. My mother asked me a favour and I did it for her.”

(By then the worker had found the tablecloth with the missing paper, giving it to me and muttering an apology, so I walked out while the other customer stared with an open-mouth. The fun fact: my mother also didn’t remember which tablecloth it was when I told the story. The worker also apologized to my mother when she went there again.)

(I am sitting on the train waiting for it to depart, when a man I’ve never seen before boards.)

Stranger: “Hello, good morning. How are you doing?”

Me: “Good morning. I am doing fine, thank you. How about yourself?”

Stranger: “Ah, not so good. I haven’t eaten in almost a day. Would you perhaps have a Euro or two to spare?”

Me: “Unfortunately I do not. However, if you’d like I have a sandwich you could have.”

Stranger: “What kind of sandwich?”

Me: “A yes or no sandwich. Yes for hungry, no for not hungry.”

(He just gave me a stupid look for a few seconds until going away to ask the next person if they had money for him. Unfortunately, she had heard the exchange and was too busy laughing.)

(I live in Sweden and when going home to Portugal, I decide to go to a beauty salon to get my fingernails done. Note that I have a good job in Sweden, and it is apparent that I am a person that enjoys metal and more alternative things, as I have some piercings, dress in black, and wear metal band t-shirts.)

Nail Technician: “What color do you want to paint your nails?”

Me: “Black.”

Nail Technician: “Oh, my black nail polish is a bit ruined. Don’t you want some red or blue instead?”

Me: “Not really. I am not so fond of those colors and the black nail polish is the only thing that works to make me not bite my fingernails.”

Nail Technician: “Okay, then. We can try using it. Why do you have those piercings? They look ridiculous! Don’t your parents complain? You will never get a job like that.”

Me: “I am 30 years old; my parents have nothing to do with it. Besides, I am living 4000 km away from them; they just come visit once in a while. And I have a very good job in Sweden.”

Nail Technician: *interrupting me* “[Coworker], do you want to get lunch after?” *back at me* “You know, my niece has a boyfriend that is manipulating her into those metallic things. Pfft. She’s studying to become a doctor; she needs to have more dignity than that. She wanted to paint her nails black. I didn’t allow her. No one dressed like that and with black fingernails is allowed in my house.”

Me: “It’s not the way a person dresses that makes her a better or worse professional.”

Nail Technician: *very quickly* “Okay, you’re done. Good bye.” *gets up and goes out of the salon*

(In the end, the black nail polish worked flawlessly, surprise! And the job was so quick that I didn’t even have time to get up and leave, even though my blood started to boil.)

(I am a natural redhead. I am at my great-uncle’s funeral. An elderly relative who I don’t really know approaches me.)

Relative: “You should be ashamed of yourself! Do you really think that hair is appropriate for a funeral?”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Relative: “Young people today and their fashions. They won’t even show respect for the deceased!”

(She then went away to another relative and started telling them of my disrespect. I guess she’d never seen a redhead before.)

This story is part of our Redhead roundup!

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