Is this stranger's note handed to a woman on a train creepy or charming?

A British woman named Jane has told of the moment she was commuting to work when she spotted another passenger staring at her.

Speaking to BBC's The Social, Jane said the man left a few stops before her, dropping a note for her as he was leaving with "Wait 10 seconds, then open" written on top.

Inside, the man had written, "You should smile even if the world's getting you down, a face as pretty as yours wasn't made to frown".

The note tells Jane to smile instead of frown. Photo / BBC, The Social Source, Facebook

"There are so many ways he could've expressed concern for me, rather than handing me a note telling me what I should do with my face and then running off the train before I could even respond," she said.

Jane's opinion on the stranger's note sparked a bitter debate online with many saying she was "overreacting".

"To men out there nervous about approaching women: Add this to your list of anxieties," one commenter wrote.

Jane reveals the note handed to her by a stranger on a train. Photo / BBC, The Social Source, Facebook

But the backlash was something Jane expected, explaining why the note had made her feel "vulnerable".

"When you look at this incident in isolation, you might think I'm overreacting a little bit, you might even think that I should've taken this as a compliment....Many women do feel vulnerable when people comment on their appearance, especially in public."