Interview Took a Weird Turn: Why Do Some Interviewers Let Ego Get in the Way?

Today, I had an interview at a renowned brand, and while most of it went smoothly, there was one moment that left me feeling a bit baffled. During the discussion, the interviewer pointed out a design she didn’t like and asked why I made the length shorter for that particular garment. I gave her an honest and straightforward answer—I mentioned that it was the standard length followed for the same traditional garment.

Instead of continuing the conversation constructively, she seemed to get offended and immediately started talking about her years of experience and achievements, almost as if I was challenging her expertise. Honestly, I was just explaining my reasoning, not questioning her knowledge or authority. It was such an odd and unnecessary flex, and it made me wonder why some people feel the need to assert their superiority in situations like these. And Right after she said that the design looked funny (the same design which was approved by my then boss) . To which I said “design is subjective “ . … ignoring what I said

I couldn’t help but feel like this reaction came from a place of insecurity or defensiveness, especially since I wasn’t being confrontational at all. Has anyone else faced something similar during an interview? How do you deal with situations like these where the interviewer’s ego seems to take over the conversation?