Man Gets Called A Pervert For Hanging Out With Coworker S 7 Year Old Daughter

Even though this notion sounds ridiculous, it’s still widespread in our society. So when Reddit user AlNuevoMundo was spotted playing with his colleague’s 7-year-old daughter, he instantly became the office creep. As the man tried to explain himself, he realized that he was confronting not just a suspicious workplace, but also rigid gender stereotypes.

Some people think men who are affectionate and friendly with children are dangerous because that’s not who they are

Share icon Image credits: astrakanimages (not the actual image)

So when this guy started playing with his colleague’s 7-year-old daughter, the office noticed

Share icon Image credits: davidpereiras (not the actual image)

Image credits: AlNuevoMundo

What we perceive to be creepy is very much tied with ambiguity

Interested in the issue, Frank McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology at Knox College, asked 1,341 people to rank how creepy 44 behaviors or traits were on a scale from one to five, where one was very unlikely and five was very likely. Additionally, McAndrew also invited the participants of his study to name occupations and hobbies that they thought were creepy, too. Creepy traits and behaviors included:

Standing too close to someoneSmiling peculiarlyTalking too much about a topic, especially sexLaughing at inappropriate timesNot letting someone out of a conversationDisplaying unwanted sexual interestAsking to take pictures of peopleDisplaying too much or too little emotionHaving bulging eyesHaving long fingersHaving pasty skinHaving greasy hairHaving dark eye bagsWearing dirty or weird clothesLicking lips

While the creepiest hobbies were:

TaxidermyCollecting things, including dolls, insects, and — eww! — fingernails?Any kind of watching, such as bird watching or photography

Meanwhile, the creepiest professions were said to be:

ClownTaxidermistSex shop ownerFuneral directorTaxi driver

“Creepiness is all about not being able to figure out whether there is a threat,” McAndrew said. Creepy people make us uncomfortable because we can’t predict how they will act or what they will say and do. So maybe if the Redditor’s colleagues had spent more time with him, they wouldn’t have thought he was that menacing? Share icon Image credits: Antonio Sokic (not the actual image)