Inappropriate snapping must be suspended

The following column originally published in 2015.

Dear Annie: I am a male, over 60, grey, balding and noticeably overweight. Because of back problems, I choose to wear suspenders instead of a belt. So, why is it that women of all ages think it’s OK to snap my suspenders, or at least express a desire to do so? Most recently, it was a younger woman on the staff of a hospital ER while I was waiting for my wife to be treated.

I’m fairly certain that if I were to snap their bra straps, they would slap my face and call the police, and rightly so. Why, then, do these ladies believe they have a right to put their hands on me?

Lost for an Answer

Dear Lost: We have no clue why anyone, male or female, would think it is OK to treat your suspenders as though they were a child’s toy to play with.

You likely appear to others as jocular and friendly, which makes them treat you as though you are familiar and accessible — their favourite uncle. And there may be something about suspenders that encourages people to touch them. But this doesn’t excuse their behaviour.

If someone approaches you a little too closely, feel free to back away or ask them to keep their hands to themselves.

Another option, of course, is to cover the suspenders with a jacket or sweater. And, readers, please keep your hands off the merchandise.

Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column