Justine Larbalestier

reading, writing, eating, drinking, sport

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What Do My Readers Lie About?

Yesterday’s post got a pretty overwhelming not really from most of my readers. Most of you do not lie about those five things. (I was made very happy by all the teenage non-drinkers. Yay, youse!)

Judging from your comments and my own experience here’s my suggestion of a top five:

  1. That you didn’t do the thing your parents/teacher/boss busted you for
  2. That your friends’ clothes/appearance looks fine
  3. Your health in order to get out of school/work
  4. Height
  5. Weight

I have lied about all of these. But not about no. 1 in a very long time. Or about no. 3 and no. 4 in ages. Haven’t lied about no. 3 since I had a regular job. Sadly my no. 2 areas of lies is still going strong. But I don’t think of no. 2 as a lie so much as a difference in aesthetics that there’s no point in going into. I will never like t-shirts tucked into jeans or formal shorts or the colour yellow or espadrilles or gladiator sandals.

Is that any closer to a list of things most everyone has lied about? How many have you lied about these? What popular area of lying am I still missing out on?

Posted by Justine at 0:03, 27 May 2009 under Bloggery, Liar, Magic or Madness trilogy | 11 Comments »

Comments

  1. Julia Rios Says:

    Yes to the first three. No the the last two.

    May 27th, 2009 at 12:48 AM

  2. Diana Peterfreund Says:

    Do you like yellow when it’s this?

    http://manybellsdown.files.wordpress.com/2006/03/williams.jpg

    Because that’s 30s-tastic. I didn’t think I liked yellow, either, and then I saw that.

    Ironically, the main character of my last series, her favorite color was yellow. They even put her in yellow on one cover.

    May 27th, 2009 at 7:30 AM

  3. Sir Tessa Says:

    “So, how are you?”

    May 27th, 2009 at 7:50 AM

  4. Lauren McLaughlin Says:

    What about the lie that you’re really interested in what the other person is saying when all you want is for them to shut up already. I think everyone commits that lie, and usually if you watch the movements of their eyes you can tell the exact moment when they’re doing it.

    May 27th, 2009 at 7:59 AM

  5. Julie Andrews Says:

    Height seems odd to me. Can’t people see how short or tall you are? Is it a gender thing? Short guys lie about being taller and tall chicks lie about being shorter? Since I’m a smidge shorter than average, maybe that’s why I never felt a need to lie or even fudge.

    I don’t know that there’s much call to lie about my weight either. A doctor’s going to know. And if it’s ever a matter of safety, ie, bungee jumping, I’m not going to lie. And in other situations, it’s not something that you’re really expected to give out precise numbers for.

    But maybe this is all because I don’t post on dating sites?

    May 27th, 2009 at 10:57 AM

  6. Malcolm Tredinnick Says:

    Yesterday’s comments suggested that people lie about the top five things they lie about. Either that, or you’ve got the most goody two-shoes audience in blogging history.

    May 27th, 2009 at 12:49 PM

  7. Casey Says:

    “How are you?” is the #1 thing I lie about. I habitually say “fine” or “good” even if I’m far from it.

    May 27th, 2009 at 7:53 PM

  8. Rachel Says:

    Re: above: I tend to say yes when asked “are you OK” even if I’m all-out bawling and therefore clearly not OK.

    May 27th, 2009 at 10:07 PM

  9. 9. Justine Says:

    Diana: That dress totally proves my point about yellow especially on white people. She looks totally sallow. Hate it.

    May 28th, 2009 at 12:10 AM

  10. Cristina Says:

    Ok, I confess! Recently I’ve been guilty of 1, 2 and 3.

    On 1, I lied to prevent getting busted, not because they actually caught me.
    Of 2, well that wasn’t so much a lie as a reassurance to my friend.
    About 3, I said I had been sick to get a deadline extended. And I had actually been sick… 2 weeks before.

    I too agree that my most common lie is when I answer “How are you?” I have found that most people ask that out of politeness rather than actual interest on how you are.

    I just realized that while writing this, I actually sought some kind of justification for my lying. I mean, when I thought back on the lies I’ve said, I tried to think of good excuses for them. So I think I just lied to myself!
    O.o

    May 28th, 2009 at 12:42 AM

  11. PixelFish Says:

    Hah. Malcolm is right. I was a goody two shoes. I was the most anal, rules following child evar. I think the common parlance is “prig”. (At least until I hit age 21 or 22.)

    I haven’t lied about my weight. But then I am still in what I regard as the understandably over zone. I just kinda shrug it off or deprecatingly laugh about it. (I used to be a total stick and then got a regular paycheque, and indulged a ferocious ice cream float habit.)

    May 29th, 2009 at 2:36 AM

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