"I'm a girl!"

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Few years back I worked for a small newspaper. I and my coworkers went to this place that ahd been arranged for us to go and spend a couple hours relaxing...it was close to Christmas and we were totally frazzled, so the sales manager had arranged this for us. It was a place where you could go and make your own Christmas ornaments. All the supplies were there, you could just kick back and have fun making cute stuff. Perfect for either adults or children.

It was the middle of the day and the only people there were me, my two coworkers and a child, about 8 or 9, alone at a table. The lady who ran the place was going back and forth between our table, the kid's table, and random people who were walking in from outside to either make reservations or ask questions. At one point I saw the kid trying to get the lady's attention and not having any luck, as the lady was very busy. So when I walked past her to get something I mentioned that 'I think the little boy in the back wants something'. She said thanks and went back to check on him.

Now this kid was wearing jeans, a dark colored sweater, and had very short brown hair, cut in what I considered a masculine style. There are short feminine haircuts, short masculine haircuts, and short ambiguous haircuts. It looked masculine to me. Well the kid heard me, and a while later I walked by him to get something, and he looked up right into my eyes and said in a very hurt tone of voice, "I'm a girl!"

I was very embarrassed. I aplogized profusely while she pinned me with her big, hurt brown eyes. I suspect it happened to her regularly.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Poor kid.

I got that shit all the time when I was younger (that, or I was accused of being something else). I consistently wore my hair very short from about 5th grade all the way through community college. Only about 6 years ago did I attempt to grow it out, and that was only because 1) I was bored with the same style I'd had for like 15 years, and 2) I had discovered the joys of haircolor and hair straightener. I also wore boyish clothes, because they were more comfortable and I hate to dress up, and I'm cursed with a body shape that NOTHING looks good on.

Nowadays I'm just cranky enough to not give a shit anymore. I keep the hair short because it's easier to manage (#%!#%#!$%^#!$%ing stupid shitty natural frizzy curl), and I prefer comfort over style any day, so you'll never catch me in high heels.

[Simply Amazed]

I'm cursed with a body shape that NOTHING looks good on.

I have to honestly say that to me "NOTHING" looks good on any woman.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I have to honestly say that to me "NOTHING" looks good on any woman.

Some people look good without clothes. I am not one of them. TRUST ME.

[JustADude]

Some people look good without clothes. I am not one of them. TRUST ME.

I know someone's going to say it, so let me just get it out of the way:

*ahem*

This thread is useless without pictures.

[Amethyst Hunter]

This thread is useless without pictures.

Here ya go.

........

........

Hey, you asked for pictures. I reserve the right to post WHICH pictures.

[monolayth]

i love you!

[Emrld]

I was in 2nd grade and given a very short hair cut . . . .I overheard a lady say to another in a store "How sad that little boy has to wear his sister's hand me downs" The shirt was pink. I stuck my tongue out at her. (naturally born female here)
Don't feel bad . . .you honestly didn't know. When wearing jeans and a neutral colored shirt it can be difficult to tell gender pre -puberty.

[JustADude]

Hey, you asked for pictures. I reserve the right to post WHICH pictures.

*SNICKER* A Puking Pumpkin... Works for me!

[Plaidman]

I like girls with shorter hair. Not buzzcuts per say, but I like shorter hair.


Then again, I've always been more attractive to tom girls then other girls.

[Killer Bees]

Hey, you asked for pictures. I reserve the right to post WHICH pictures.

Funny.....I never pictured you as an angry carrot top

[Sylvia727]

When wearing jeans and a neutral colored shirt it can be difficult to tell gender pre -puberty.

Or post-puberty. My sister and I had a running bet on a 15-year-old worker at the local McDonalds. No name tag, 5'5", slight build, straight hair to the ears, a voice that could be low for a girl or high for a guy...

Pierced ears but no earrings, occassional eyeliner, uniform polo two sizes too big so we couldn't see *cough* distinctive feminine features or the lack thereof, unisex slacks, studded Hot Topic belt, Converse shoes...

I had finally changed my bet to "genderqueer" thinking s/he was deliberately trying to be ambiguous...and one day she finally got her name tag: "Anna".

[Spiffy McMoron]

I had finally changed my bet to "genderqueer" thinking s/he was deliberately trying to be ambiguous...and one day she finally got her name tag: "Anna".

[Official Mod Note]

For those who don't know the term, the word genderqueer is (roughly) synonymous with androgynous or intersex.

If people wish to discuss the issues around androgyny, intersex and/or genderqueer, please do so at Fratching.

[/Official Mod Note]

[blas]

My grandmother, who sometimes still lives in the 1920s and 30s, decided when I was younger that I needed a short haircut, that I could have longer hair when I was older. How my parents allowed it, I have NO idea (I'm willing to bet she was babysitting me and took me out for a haircut without their permission!). But it took years for me to get rid of that awful short hair and people calling me a boy and this one evil woman in a Kmart bathroom telling me "Little boy, this is the girl's bathroom, you're in the wrong place!"

On top of that, growing up dirt poor, I always had to wear hand me downs. And 80% of them were from my MALE cousins, because there are way more boys than girls in my extended family. I only got one female cousin's hand me downs.

Now I wear my hair past shoulder length at all times and never wear anything non feminine. And when I'm around grandma, I always wear it down. Even though "ladies are not supposed to wear their hair down around anyone except their husband!"

Ok grandma, to the RMS Titanic we go! Toot Toot!

I love my grandma to death, I really do. But that one time in my life was the most humiliating thing I ever went through as a kid.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

andro-me

Being tomboyish growing up (most frequent playmate was my older brother), with very short hair, and fairly androgynous facial features, I was frequently mistaken for a boy (2 years ago, friend sees the school photo of 11-year-old me: "Hey, TNTBTO, I didn't know you have a brother." "I do, but he's brunette. That's me." "Oh.")

It even happened once after puberty, but before I grew long hair (I don't count the one incident after long hair, she saw me from behind & thought that I was someone specific). And by that time I thought that it was fun keeping this guy puzzled as to whether I was male (& being buddy) or female (& flirting). To his credit, I was wearing a heavy, mid-thigh top that was gender-neutral and concealed all my curves and the rest of my clothing was equally gender-neutral.