"The unexamined life is not worth living" Socrates

- - scatterings of ideas sent to my younger self, a sensitive girl who was fooled into believing she was a boy because of anatomy - -

Sunday 23 May 2010

If You Could Pass...

I would like to interview one hundred women on the subject of ‘If you could pass as a man what would you do differently? How would you take advantage of the opportunity?’
Even with this façade, there is still a feminine social conscience here. I could just use some help deciding how to best take advantage of what is, let us be honest, a unique situation and opportunity.

The Interview Scenario:
You woke up several months ago, and realized that even though you were still ‘you’ in every other way, emotionally, personal attitudes, desires, ambitions, and so on, your body was changed. Your face was scratchy with short hairs growing all over and most important of all, your most important female feature was replaced by that most phallic of all symbols. For all outward appearances, you have become a man. Testing your voice, you find it resonates far more. Covering your ears and speaking, you sound just like a man.
Maybe you get yourself some comfy clothes and take it out for a test drive, this man’s body. Just for fun, you run faster than you ever have before, and if you like tennis, or golf, or baseball, you have some new experiences. You find you are able to hit the ball harder (once you get used to the bulk and different balance) and throw with more power too.
Maybe you go out drinking with some guys, and eat way too much food for a while, since you can, and the body gets out of control. You only do that for a while because you really don’t feel good dragging your knuckles along the ground and tromping about like a guy does. You remember it was good being healthy, so you hit the gym, watch what you eat and start to consider what you would really like to do with the rest of your life. Though you might be able to pass as a man, you haven’t really enjoyed the mindless chit-chat about sports, machinery and so on. You’d like to be with your girlfriends, but don’t seem to have much in common with them anymore. So many of their issues are not your issues anymore, or are they? You still care deeply about so many of those things you always cared about.

Now we get to the heart of the question. You are a woman who can (and pretty much must) pass as a man for the rest of your life. Will it drive you crazy, or can you think of a way to take advantage of this situation?

I would seriously like to get some genetic female perspective, since it looks like these are my ‘advantages’ for the rest of my days.

3 comments:

  1. WHOA! Dig it. Holy smokes what a concept. If you have no choice, and THIS is just the way it is. Enjoy the ride!

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  2. Or...If I really were "stuck" in the body of a man, I would probably be in some seriously deep mucky puck. Seriously, I would be very hard pressed to handle it. At my age, 63, and assuming I woke up in a male body in similar condition.....I don't know. I think I would really just have to learn to make the best of it.

    Talk about an old dog learning new tricks.

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  3. Well Anne, I appreciate knowing that upon reflection you were a bit short of ideas too. Being a man and thinking as a woman has become a very 'mucky puck' indeed. I am an old bitch who really does need some sort of new batch of tricks.

    I'll keep working on it (not too much choice) and hope you will keep chiming in. If you feel comfortable, send an email (see my profile).

    Hugs, Halle

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