Quote Originally Posted by Eryn View Post
Let me guess, the woman in the booth was late teens, early 20s? That's the age where curiosity is piqued easily, background knowledge is at a minimum, and inhibitions are low. She asked the question that most every stranger who sees your hands in drab mode (and they're always lovely BTW) wants to ask!

While I find the "nose and ears" response was worth a chuckle, I'm glad that you used the "because I like them" response. That one is more constructive in maintaining good public relations. You responded to her question and gave her a positive answer rather than a creepy one. She'll likely respond more nicely to the next person she sees who blurs the gender line.
Building on Eryn's response and taking her assumptions one step further, it's likely that this presumed younger girl also had one or more body piercings, tattoos, spiked, multi-colored hair and/or ripped jeans, as is typical of her age group. Young people these days seem to have no sense of proper manners or etiquette, and sometimes one has to be extraordinarily blunt with them before they "get it".

If she was accessorized as I am suggesting, you should have perhaps turned the tables on her and quizzed her on her particular fashion statements.

Then, of course, there's always the classic Ann Landers response to someone who asks an inappropriate and personal question - "Why on Earth would you ask me that?"