I had a patron today who complimented me while I was helping him without it being weird/creepy/sexist. As I was helping him look up his account information and trying to figure out why he was having trouble logging on the computers, he said, "You look very nice today." That's it. He wasn't leering at my chest or doing anything to make me feel objectified or uncomfortable (in fact he was looking square at my face as he said it...which is even nicer of him seeing as how I've got the biggest zit in the world on my cheek right now). He just paid me a nice, pleasant compliment and then thanked me once I'd helped him figure out what the problem was (wrong PIN number in the computer). And what's even better is that he complimented me with seemingly no expectation behind it; he didn't ask for my number or if I was single or if I wanted to go out with him. In fact when he left, he just waved at me as he walked by the desk. And when he said it, while being floored and a little leery of what his intentions might be (because I always am either because I think the guy's going to veer into creepy territory or because I'm wondering why anyone would think I look nice when my hair's a mess and I have a huge zit), I just said, "Thank you," and went right back to helping him. It was a lovely interaction and if he never comes back in again then that's fine, but if he does and he does ask me for my number, I might just be interested in giving it to him (I found him reasonably attractive though I'd have to get to know him better before making a fuller judgment on my estimation of his attractiveness). What a nice way to almost finish out a crazy/busy day :)
