Nowadays, lots of things people do can come out as rude without them even noticing. At the same time, some people are too sensitive to mild rude acts.
One of those mild rude gestures is to roll your eyes, just like any parent figure would tell their younger ones. But why is it rude to roll your eyes?
Why Is It Rude To Roll Your Eyes?
1. Conveys Being Condescending
If you roll your eyes during a conversation of any kind, it shows the person talking that you think so little of their speech. Sometimes, they might be talking nonsense and cannot realize it.
Whether that speech is awful or not, people hate it when they’re being degraded or not taken seriously. It’s offensive as most people calculate their value depending on others’ views of them.
This can happen when someone is making a presentation about a topic that you know you would’ve done better.
If they’re missing a lot of essential details, you wouldn’t be able to help but roll your eyes.
So, the next time you’re talking about something meaningful to you, you should think about what your reaction would be if a listener disregarded your talk and just rolled their eyes.
2. Gives A Facade Of Disinterest
Being uninterested in a specific topic is highly likely if you’re in a group that switches topics throughout the setting. Rolling your eyes then shows how badly you’d rather be anywhere else.
As a result, people usually take this eye roll as an indicator that they should be switching the topic to gain back attention. It makes them insecure and will most likely stay silent afterward.
A simple eye roll could be something spontaneous that you might not even notice doing. However, in this case, make sure you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings only to let out yours.
If the talker is discussing their best achievement, an eye roll would be viewed as a rude gesture.
3. Expresses Hostility
Rolling your eyes at someone also shows your growing hatred of them with each word they speak. This is usually when the talker is someone you or a friend of yours don’t like a lot.
They could be talking about a topic that you absolutely love, but the fact that your friends don’t like them have you rolling your eyes at the words.
There could be times when you really want to engage in this conversation with them, but your friend group prohibits you from doing so.
This is why sometimes people would rather be rude and roll their eyes instead of having a pleasant conversation, so they wouldn’t be outcast from their group.
4. Communicates Non-Verbal Disagreement
Let’s say the most hated boss at your work is scolding you for something that you know you did right. This boss is just so uptight and strict, and every employee knows that.
Unintentionally, you find yourself rolling your eyes when they mention that “you’re not doing your job right.” You’re not using it as a way of degrading their words; you just wish they’d shut up.
Most likely, the disagreement is there most of the time, but you can’t show it directly, or you’d lose your job. So, you’d have to just deal with it your own way.
5. Makes People Angry
Have you ever had a friend that just snaps whenever someone is mildly rude to them? They get out of their way just to show the other person how angry they are.
Well, usually, this is what happens when you roll your eyes at someone. It’s not really a big deal when it’s spontaneous, but it makes people so furious that they might just leave the discussion.
Sometimes, you can also use it intentionally to make the other person furious enough to get in trouble. It’s not a healthy technique, but it sadly exists still.
Therefore, whether it’s associated with disrespect and rudeness or not, people can just go crazy if you roll your eyes at them in a serious situation.
6. Nobody Likes A Regina George
Eye rolling is Regina George’s brand. Being in a mean/cool girl group means you have to start eye-rolling at anything that isn’t worth the group’s attention.
Of course, in real life and outside the high school, no one really likes Regina George. A bad attitude is a long-gone trend that people are no longer attracted to.
Girl groups now would rather be friendly and empowering than rude and constant eye-rolling.
This means that if the new cool group sees you eye-rolling someone, they’ll probably not want you sitting at their table anymore.
7. Usually Starts A Fight
If you and another person are facing each other and trying to solve any kind of disagreement, you better not roll your eyes.
This non-verbal rudeness just flames up everything in seconds, and instead of mere arguing, you’ll find yourself facing the other person spitting venom with their words.
Rolling your eyes should be totally avoided during fights for this exact reason, because rudeness wouldn’t work in a civil argument, ever.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why it is rude to ask a woman her age, why people whistle, and why slurping is rude.
Conclusion
Rolling your eyes can be all fun and games until it puts you in a serious situation in which you have to defend that you weren’t being rude.
Use the eye roll wisely, and start working on that attitude that makes you want to roll your eyes so bad each time someone says something mildly upsetting.