Dear Prudence,
This might sound low stakes, but it is honestly driving me crazy. I am a college sophomore at a school in the Rust Belt. It is probably in the 40-50 degree range most days now that it’s March, but it does still get to around 30 some days. I do not get cold easily. So if it is above freezing, I usually go outside in a t-shirt, gloves, and leggings. You’ll have to take my word for it that I am legitimately not cold and am not being some form of childish or immature to prove a point (yes, I have been accused of that by multiple people since the age of 10). I have also never gotten frostbite or any kind of injury from being outside without a jacket on, as I do wear some kind of jacket or sweatshirt if it’s below 30 degrees. I have always been this way, and very few people can resist commenting on it.
I don’t mind the one-off comments from strangers when I’m on walks (random comments happen probably around twice a week in the wintertime) but it is incredibly irritating and kind of offensive to have people I work with, do activities with, etc. consistently call me insane or tell me, “You need to put on a jacket” or that “You should get checked out by a doctor because this isn’t normal.” These people don’t have medical degrees! When I was younger I didn’t mind as much because I assumed people would stop it once I was an adult, but I’m 20 now and for the love of God, it seems like people will not accept that I am not cold! It is everyone from my friends to my colleagues to a few of my professors. Ignoring the comments does not make people shut up. I can probably suck it up for the next few weeks until April, but come next November, I’d really like a script that will get people to believe that I am not cold, or at the very least, make them understand that what I put on my body is not their business so they don’t need to comment.
—For the Love of Jack Frost