Huh…I had never though about that.

You’re right - it doesn’t seem to make sense to believe that people would actually say that.

But it’s a not uncommon trope at least for someone in a relationship or considering one to be afraid that that’s what other people are going to think. So there must be something there. And Japanese society is certainly very conscious of relative class and stature, so I have little doubt that it’s something that other people would potentially think, and might even be extremely conscious of.

My first thought is that it’s something that, in reality, is communicated without ever actually being said - that it’s one of those things that’s communicated by the pointed misuse of expected modes of speech and such, and it’s just translated into English as an overt statement (sort of like Japanese “swearing”).

I dunno though… it is sort of strange, now that you mention it…