Do people seem to stare at you?

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I ask because I've just had the strangest trip into Cambridge. As far as I'm aware, I didn't look particularly exceptional; I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, a fleece and trainers, my face and hair were clean, and I didn't have any smuts on my nose; and yet everywhere I went people were having a good old look at me. I don't think it was my imagination, as other times I've been into town and nobody's looked at me twice, but this time...I felt as though I was wearing a big badge that said, "Hey, look at me! I'm an Aspie!"

For example, I was waiting in the optician's reading one of their (very boring) magazines, and when I'd finshed with it, as I put it back in its rack, the hard spine caught the metal bar of the rack and it made a quiet "bong" noise. Nothing particularly loud or noteworthy. But when I looked round, everybody in the shop - and I mean receptionists, assistants - everybody - was staring at me as though they'd never seen anybody quite like me before. It was quite disconcerting.

So - I wondered, does anybody else have days when they feel like a strange biological specimen in a museum?

i hear ya!

most times people stare at me.
i first thought it was because I'm foreign, or because I'm tall, but the more it happens, the more I realize that I might look different from other people.
I don't know what is it, but people like to stare at me.

i don't get NTs, they complain about us Aspies for not getting social cues, then they are totally rude by staring at us.

I've had to learn to filter out that same, exact feeling. It is possible they are thinking that, because you aren't connecting with your surroundings in the same way they are, that they have to figure out why. It's primal somehow. Don't you just wish you can go out, be by yourself, and have the world leave you alone?

I experience the same thing too.

Hurrah, another Cambridge aspie!

Yeah, I notice staring too, but I just put it down to my own paranoia. Especially when I'm in Borders, or M&S (the one in the town center, opposite Boots). Oh, and the pubs of Cambridge seem especially stare-tastic.

I get stared at all the time, and I have since i've been little.

Children ALWAYS stare at me for some reason, it's really weird.

They used to. Now they don't.

I also get the feeling that everybody stares at me. Except the times when I want to be noticed - then I'm invisible

I do and i dont like it,i have nothing to do with them and want to get on with what im doing.I have a phobia of walking past people walking the opposite way from me because most of the time they look at you.I dont know what to do if i should look back at them or anything so i look down.I also get watched in shops like im a theif or something

Yes.

Stare challenge! First to blink loses.

Sometimes they stare at my son. I really dislike it! There should be more tolerance and less ignorance

I feel as if they do, but I'm not sure if that's my imagination or not.
Although I do have the habit of finding myself staring at people or objects for prolonged periods of time.

Oh, wouldn't that be lovely...?

Hi, violentcloud - good to hear from you! I know what you mean about pubs - I don't go in many because I always feel so conspicuous. And I've always found Fitzroy Street to be particularly stare-tastic (great word!) - no idea why.

It's nice to know that it's not just me. I wonder what it is about us that they're picking up on? As far as I can tell, I look reasonably normal, so it must be something behavioural, as k96822 suggested. I'm surprised (and a little bit bothered) that it's so obvious that it draws peoples' attention, though...!

ppl stare at me all da tym but i just try 2 avoid it.

They just sense our mystique.