Tweet
Gender Blender
There's two things you can't use to tell genders on pre-teen children in the SCA. One is hair...a SCAdian male is pretty much as likely to have long hair as a SCAdian female. And while I've never seen a young boy dressed as a girl, about half the girls in this age range dress like boys, presumably so they can run around and play rough.
I've learned to look at their feet. Feet usually tell. Boys have bigger hands and feet (usually) and tend to wear boy's sneakers (kids in this age range don't usually have period footwear, either. ).
So my husband mistook a little girl for a boy this weekend. She was eleven, shoulder length hair, male clothing, and an aggressive, rough and tumble manner. She was highly offended at this error.
She later got together with a nine year old boy who was taller than she was (honestly, she was a tiny girl. My six year old was almost her size. Though, to be honest, she may well have been lying about her age. She was, I am sorry to have to report, a little shit. But I digress.). This boy is famously beautiful, with long, wavy blond hair and an angel's face.
You probably see where this is going.
Boy shows up in camp and says "where's the boy I was playing with?"
Me: Boy?
Boy: Yeah, red hair, glasses...?
Me: Oh. Well, first, I'm afraid your buddy's a girl. SHE'S gone to supper with her dad.
Boy: Really? (who is very, very used to having his gender mistaken and who was incredibly nonplussed by this new development. ) Ah. Okay. I'll come back later, then.
One of Kink's Friends: She thought K was a boy?
Me: Yes. He did. Um, yeah. (jerking thumb towards boy) He's a boy.
(Beat. )
One of Kink's Friends: Only in the SCA.
Later, I heard the girl who'd been so offended at being mistaken for a dude screetching "You're telling me she's a BOY?????"
I had to stop what I was doing and hold onto something to keep from falling over I was laughing so hard.
I've learned to look at their feet. Feet usually tell. Boys have bigger hands and feet (usually) and tend to wear boy's sneakers (kids in this age range don't usually have period footwear, either. ).
So my husband mistook a little girl for a boy this weekend. She was eleven, shoulder length hair, male clothing, and an aggressive, rough and tumble manner. She was highly offended at this error.
She later got together with a nine year old boy who was taller than she was (honestly, she was a tiny girl. My six year old was almost her size. Though, to be honest, she may well have been lying about her age. She was, I am sorry to have to report, a little shit. But I digress.). This boy is famously beautiful, with long, wavy blond hair and an angel's face.
You probably see where this is going.
Boy shows up in camp and says "where's the boy I was playing with?"
Me: Boy?
Boy: Yeah, red hair, glasses...?
Me: Oh. Well, first, I'm afraid your buddy's a girl. SHE'S gone to supper with her dad.
Boy: Really? (who is very, very used to having his gender mistaken and who was incredibly nonplussed by this new development. ) Ah. Okay. I'll come back later, then.
One of Kink's Friends: She thought K was a boy?
Me: Yes. He did. Um, yeah. (jerking thumb towards boy) He's a boy.
(Beat. )
One of Kink's Friends: Only in the SCA.
Later, I heard the girl who'd been so offended at being mistaken for a dude screetching "You're telling me she's a BOY?????"
I had to stop what I was doing and hold onto something to keep from falling over I was laughing so hard.
Don't think they were expecting that.
Comment