"I’m Not a Penguin": Hijabi Woman Stunned by Stranger's Question, "Are You Dressed Up as a Penguin?"
A hijabi woman working at the aquarium found herself completely stunned when an elderly man approached her and asked if she was wearing a penguin costume, and he wasn’t kidding – he was “dead serious.”
The world is a melting pot of people from diverse cultures and religions, each with its own set of values and characteristics that make it stands out. Thankfully, we are now living in an era where individuals are becoming more open-minded and accepting of ideas and beliefs that may differ from their own.
Despite the growing trend of openness and acceptance towards diversity, some argue that older generations may not be as receptive to such ideas as younger generations, which was particularly highlighted by a recent incident where an elderly man asked a woman wearing a black hijab if she was dressed up like a penguin.
In a now-viral video, TikToker @savannahgeishaa shares that an older man stopped her at the aquarium where she works and asked if the clothes she was wearing were a penguin costume.
“I’m not a penguin”
The video captioned “I’m not a penguin” features the OP, who works at an aquarium, expressing her shock over an older gentleman who had the “audacity” to ask if she was dressed up as a penguin while at work.
In the video, the woman shows a shocked and offended facial expression in response to the older man’s question, asking “excuse me?”
The man’s comment left the poor woman with self-doubt, causing her to question if she actually resembled a penguin, exclaiming, “do I look like a penguin?”
The man’s question left the hijabi woman absolutely speechless and unable to comprehend why someone would ask such an offensive question.
She continues, “I didn’t know what to say so I was like ‘yeah I’m a penguin’ because I thought he was joking but he was being dead serious.”
As they reached the sales area, the hijabi woman felt the need to clarify to the man that she was not, in fact, a penguin. “I’m not a penguin by the way,” she told him.
“I’m so sorry, I realize that.” the man responded.
The hijabi woman was clearly taken aback and offended by the man’s comment. “What do you mean? Why did you say that?” she asked in disbelief.
@savannahgeishaa Im not a penguin 🐧 #hijabi #hijab #jilbab #muslim #muslimtiktok #muslimah #hijabitiktok ♬ original sound – mrsshahhhh🥷🏽
The TikTok video has gone viral since its posting, racking up over 3.2 million views and prompting a flood of responses from viewers.
As if being called a penguin by someone wasn’t bad enough, one commenter pointed out that her “working at the aquarium makes it worse.”
Another person added a touch of humor to the situation, quoting the childhood song The Duck Song (The Duck and the Lemonade Stand) to describe the OP’s reaction to being called a penguin, saying, “And she waddled away… waddle waddle.”
One commenter had a witty solution to make the man feel guilty and learn a lesson in accepting others’ beliefs, suggesting the OP should have replied with “I’m a nun.”
The OP appears to be part of a larger group of people who have experienced similar traumatic incidents, as one commenter shared a similar experience, saying, “This gives me flashbacks to when I was wearing a red and blue Hijab and someone said I am a spider man from behind.”
A wise commenter suggested that older people may not always intend harm, but rather may simply be “confused.” Perhaps this is true in the case of the man who mistook the hijabi woman for a penguin, and understanding this may help alleviate some of the pain she experienced.
