Keeping people’s bodies out of conversation is always a wise idea.
Even if they bring their bodies up, and you intend to compliment them, the chances of words being misinterpreted are extremely high.
Leaving for a likely outcome of hurt and confusion.
If it’s wise to avoid talking about someone else’s body, touching someone else’s body without their express permission is one of the unwisest decisions anyone can make.
Redditor annydelacroix was annoyed when one of their colleagues touched them without permission.
However, when this same colleague made a loud assumption about the original poster (OP) that pertained to her body for the whole office to hear, the OP was flat out furious.
As evidenced by the surprised reaction of her boss.
Having some concerns about her behavior, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for snapping when someone rubbed my belly and implied I might be pregnant?”
The OP explained why she couldn’t help but snap at a work colleague:
“So today, my office building was throwing a little fiesta-themed event and they offered free lunch in the cafeteria.”
“A bunch of us went down to grab food.”
“While I was standing in line, I opened the Nest camera app to check on something and saw a little bird that’s been showing up outside every day.”
“I laughed and casually said to no one in particular, ‘This bird comes to visit me every day’.”
“Right after I said that, a coworker (who has made pregnancy comments toward me before) came up, rubbed my belly without asking, and said something like, ‘Maybe it’s because you’ve got a baby bird on the way’.”
“I felt this immediate wave of rage—like why are we still doing this in 2025?”
“So I said, ‘Don’t be wishing that kind of bad luck on me’.”
“She looked super taken aback, and my boss (who overheard) also looked at me like I’d just said something offensive.”
“It felt like I was the crazy one for being upset.”
“But I didn’t ask to be touched, I’m not pregnant, and I really don’t like people making those kinds of comments about my body.”
“I am not overweight, which only makes it weirder cause I do not look pregnant.”
“My coworker did not do this out of my ‘looks’ that’s why I’m concerned cause even tho yes I’m not the fittest person, I know I don’t look pregnant.”
“Now I’m wondering—AITA for reacting the way I did?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for snapping at their coworker.
Everyone agreed that it’s never ok to touch someone’s body, or vocally assume someone is pregnant, so the OP was absolutely right to put her colleague in her place:
“NTA.”
“Why is she so obsessed with the idea of you being pregnant?”
“She needs therapy.”
“Start recording every encounter with this crazy ass and bring it to HR.”- Confident_Set4216
“NTA.”
“And you need to put a stop to this as soon as possible.”
“If you haven’t already told this person to stop their behavior (both spoken and physical), do so in a calm, clear manner.”
“If they continue, it’s time to bring management/HR into the picture.”
“If you think it necessary, you can ask your boss to present when you tell the person to stop their behavior, so that there are no questions later about how you handled the matter.”- wesmorgan1
“NTA.”
“Your boss was just giving their initial reaction to one employee verbally snapping at the other, I wouldn’t worry about that unless it is followed up with comments confirming they believe you are in the wrong.”
“A lot was happening in the moment, I think you should follow up with an email to your boss, coworker, and HR so your feelings are clear.”
“Namely, ‘I want to explain why I raised my voice to coworker today as it is usually not my style to snap at others’.”
“In the past, coworker has made many comments to me suggesting I might be or will be pregnant–I am not pregnant and I don’t appreciate such speculation about my personal life or private reproductive issues at the office.”
“I also found it jarring when coworker rubbed my abdomen today without warning or consent, again indicating I was pregnant.”
“I realize some may think these things are no big deal and assume others feel the same way.”
“Thus, I want to be perfectly clear that I do not welcome the comments or the touching.”- JeepersCreepers74
“NTA.”
“Don’t touch people’s bodies.”
“Don’t comment about people’s bodies.”
“These are good life rules, and imperative office rules.”
“I’d be chatting with HR immediately if I were you.”- bassoonprune
“NTA.”
“And your boss was probably mortified that she touched you.”
“You should report her to HR since she touched you without your consent and made you feel uncomfortable.”- Chocolattemnmss
“NTA.”
“No touching.”
“And no assuming a woman is pregnant until she tells you or you see the baby crowning.”- ButItSaysOnline
“NTA.”
“I hate it when people touch other people w/o permission or assume pregnancy.”
“My petty self would have started crying and loudly talking about my infertility issues.”- rogue1206
“NTA I’m overweight and sometimes people think I’m pregnant, like asking me when I’m due, but no one has ever laid hands on me like some people do.”
“I would lose my mind. I do not understand why people think that is ok to do to anyone.”- Careless-Ability-748
“NTA, unwelcome touching is just that, UNWELCOME.”
“That’s so gross of someone to do that Contact HR immediately!”- OldSaggytitBiscuits
“NTA.”
“For some reason, a lot of people forgot what ‘Keep your hands to yourself’ meant when they learned that in Kindergarten.”
“No one touches anyone unless they say they can.”
“Ugh.”
“Other note – if this coworker has done this in the past, I would encourage to report them.”
“They think this is okay which is why it continues.”- BigBellyThickThighs
“NTA.”
“1. passive aggressive fat shaming.”
“2. sexual harassment.”
“3. assault.”
“4. creepy touching.”- Ulquiorra1312
“NTA, that’s gross. she shouldn’t be touching you like that without consent and why tf is she assuming you’re pregnant?”
“that was such a weird comment to make.”- mayonnaise68
“NTA.”
“Who in their right mind thinks it’s ok to just walk up to someone and touch them?”- Creative_Goose5614
“NTA.”
“Wow. Sounds like your coworker needs to go back to kindergarten and learn to keep her hands to herself.”
“I’d be reporting that to HR. And the next time she brings it up, I’d be tempted to respond, ‘You seem awfully interested in my sex life’.”
“It’s creepy’.”- BluffCityTatter
“It’s far easier to keep your hands to yourself and mouth hushed than to do all that.”
“NTA Some people don’t learn until they get called out.”
“And many more don’t learn until called out repeatedly.”- Sudden-Green3769
“NTA.”
“Get HR involved.”
“She absolutely cannot go around touching you without asking.”
“God people suck.”- exploresparkleshine
“NTA.”
“That’s a form of harassment and I’d be reporting that to HR.”
“Unacceptable.”- Lissypooh628
“NTA.”
“Eww.”- StAlvis
“NTA.”
“Everyone thinks babies are a blessing, and that’s not the case for everyone.”
“And to just randomly touch you to imply it is friggin weird.”
“You were talking about a friggin bird.”
“Like, she’s not an Olympic high jumper, no need to jump to such conclusions.”- Livid-Finger719
“NTA.”
“Oh my god, I simply don’t understand what’s wrong with some people that they don’t understand this: do not touch other people without their consent.”
“Anything more than a tap on the shoulder to get attention when words don’t work is just flat inappropriate.”
“This is like, kindergarten stuff.”- HankThrill69420
“NTA.”
“File a complaint with HR.”- ThatWhichLurks782
“NTA.”
“And she’s lucky you’re not taking her to HR for laying hands on you.”- UnhappyTemperature18
“NTA.”
“Considering I tend to flinch hard at unsolicited touching, if it were me, she would have been lucky not to be punched.”
“But then obviously no one ever taught her the hard way not to touch people.”- Safe_Place8432
“NTA.”
“That is a wildly inappropriate thing to do to a coworker.”
“Your reaction was tame compared to what I would have said.”- Impressive_Moment786
“NTA.”
“That would be a weird thing to do even if you were pregnant.”
“This person should not be touching you without consent, especially at work.”
“Your boss being a witness and not reprimanding them is not a good look either.”
“If your company has an HR department, I recommend filing a complaint.”
“There’s a chance that because your comment offended her, she may retaliate in some way, and if your boss seemingly is also offended/didn’t see anything wrong with her behavior, he might side with her.”
“It’s best to document these kinds of interactions formally, so there’s a paper trail should things escalate.”- Friend_of_Hades
It’s always nice to celebrate someone’s pregnancy.
Providing they were the ones sharing the news, and they were, indeed, pregnant.
However, contrary to popular belief, pregnant women don’t love it when complete strangers come up and feel their pregnant bellies.
But when in doubt, just don’t touch anyone… unless they give permission.