Basically, I was at the movies, and I decided to go to the restroom afterwards. At the movie theater, the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom are right next to each other and they have the signs for which bathroom is which obviously. The bathroom I walked in, I legitimately thought I was walking into the men’s restroom. I am a male. I was walking into the bathroom and obviously the first thing I was looking for was the urinals, I couldn’t find them anywhere and I just kept walking inside the bathroom to find them, but I never could. It was just straight toilets. And then I hear this woman walk in and and then I see them around the corner and she’s with her daughter. So out of the awkwardness because I was still kind of confused, I asked her something along the lines of which bathroom it was and she said “I think it’s the women’s” but then I apologize to her, and then it was another woman behind her that walked in and I apologize to her as well I think. And so then I went into the men’s bathroom which again was right across, saw the urinals in there but ironically, they weren’t even accessible because they had the yellow tape across so I use the stall. And then it was a guy in there as well that I just brought the whole situation up to him because I figured he was with one of the women that just walked into the bathroom and I apologize to him and just told him I legitimately thought the other bathroom was the men’s bathroom. And then I walked out, and they were behind me, and I held the door for them and I apologize to them one last time. I believe the woman just smiled and the guy just said “you’re all good man.” I feel like you can imagine anybody would feel embarrassed about that interaction, Like I legitimately did not go in there with bad intentions I just had to use the bathroom and I’m just hoping none of them think I was being creepy. Any advice will be helpful. I’m 22 I’ll be 23 in less than a month.
this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2026
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You know what might help you feel better? Hearing my story about when the same thing happened to me but it was so much worse, or maybe that'll just make you feel even more anxious (fair warning).
I was at the pub on my 20th birthday. I had gotten thoroughly drunk and had to pee so I went to the bathroom. Somehow in my drunken stupor I walked in through the wrong door, which would have been an embarrassing but pretty mundane faux pas, except when this woman walked in, and I, in my super drunk-ass state, instead of realising the completely obvious, instead assumed that she'd walked in to the men's. I kinda chuckled a little bit and said sympathetically "are you a little lost?" The woman responded "err what the FUCK this is the fucking WOMEN'S toilet you dick head" then she quite suddenly pulled the Rasta Beanie my friends had gotten me for my birthday off my head and said "I'm going throw this shit in the fucking toilet you stupid asshole" I'd managed to grab a hold of the beanie when she grabbed at it so it was still in my hands and she started yanking at it trying to steal it from me all the while shrieking "fuck you, you fucking pervert". I wrested my hat from her clutches and apologised awkwardly for my mistake and stumbled out of there and went back to my table with my friends.
About 15 minutes later a bouncer walked up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and said he needed to talk to me. He pointed to my new acquaintance from the bathroom and said "that woman over there said you walked in to the women's bathroom and assaulted her" which came as a big surprise and instantly sobered me up. He asked me if that was true and was I really in the women's bathroom? Fortunately, against all odds this bouncer was quite a reasonable man and when I explained that yes, I had actually mistakenly gone in to the women's bathroom and that this woman then came in after and yelled at me and tried to steal my belongings and that no, I hadn't assaulted anyone; he actually believed me and I was able to continue the rest of my evening without being further hassled. I thought for sure at the bare minimum he'd tell me to leave the premises just to avoid any more issues just or unjust but it actually all worked out which was quite a relief because I definitely did not expect such an escalation.
Anyway, at the very least you can say none of that happened to you.
And how long ago was this?
Almost 20 years ago now.
Does it ever cross your mind?
Haha from time to time. Mostly as something sorta amusing because of the absurdity of it, but with the added sting of embarrassment for the parts of the story that are directly stemming from me being an idiot, and the slight shiver down my spine at the thought of people like that out there that will happily attempt to ruin someone's life on a whim. This is probably the first time I've been reminded of it for a few years but I figured it might make your own much more benign experience feel less awful in comparison, what happened to you, that's something you'll have well and truly forgotten much sooner than 20 years.