i was mistaken for a man today!

[v-ness]

well this is a first! i was at the check-out in the grocery store just now and the guy bagging groceries asked "do you have your own bag, sir?"

"SIR!??" i responded in astonishment. my god, did he not see my 38D's or my chanel lip gloss or my Lash Blasted lashes? i started to laugh, i wasn't insulted, i was just shocked and told him that aside from once getting compared to the guy/girl in "The Crying Game" in the 80's, this was a first. he apologized profusely anyway, but i hope i put him at ease. he said "when i looked up all i saw was the hat". OK, grant you, i was wearing a red felt hat pulled down over my ears, no wig, and my sweater pretty much hid my gender under my raggedy barn coat. even if i take the hat off i only have quarter inch hair, a rare site for one of any gender, so i guess i can expect to be mistaken for a man again in the coming months unless i increase the eyeliner and use red lipstick next time! :) but then maybe i might just be mistaken for a drag queen. :( wait.... a drag queen would have been dressed better....

[StephN]

Thanks for the chuckle! Even though it may not have been so humorous at the moment.

A friend tipped me off to the possibility of such an incident. She told me NOT to go out wearing just a baseball cap and sweats during treatment, as she had a similar incident to what you described.

I found that I felt better if I tried for a more feminine look, which was hard in itself under the circumstances!

[MJo]

It happened to me too. It's weird to be called Sir.

[Shobha]

I was mistaken for a homeless person.

During the throes of my chemo, I went out in my sweat pants, over sized fleece shirt and being bald everywhere, I had a thick, hideous albeit very comfortable scarf on my head! I didn't mind a bit, and a good laugh after I got over the initial shock.

shobha

[Becky]

I was called a fella! I was waiting in line at the grocery store and had all my stuff on the belt. A little girl was trying to start to put her mom's stuff up on the belt and the mom said, "wait until the fella starts to go". I looked over and she about died because my face is obviously "girl". She apologized but I told her that its funny what a little pea in your boob will do to you. We laughed and chatted the rest of the time.

It happens!

[PinkGirl]

Me too ... when I finished herceptin and then tripped and broke
my nose. The x-ray tech said ... "be right with you sir" ... I
think I have a "girl" face too but I had rearranged it on the back
steps. :)

[SoCalGal]

I'd rather be called "man" than ma'am.

[tricia keegan]

Ouch!!! Happened to me once during chemo too!!!
You have to keep a sense of humour I told my self lol....

[Jean]

There is a great book I picked up called....
"No hair day" offers a great sense of humor and one cannot help but chuckle. Who ever would have thought
we could laugh at breast cancer and what it does to us,
but thank God we learn.

I say wear good size earings at all times!

Jean

[StephN]

Good idea, Jean.
But make sure they are GIRLIE earrings.

Simple bling and hoops are often seen on "fellas."

[Jean]

So true Steph (tee hee) the guys are sporting some huge studs these days....and in both ears!

Who ever said it was easy being a woman?

[v-ness]

flori, after he mistook me for a man, he said 'sorry, ma'am.' :)

it's OK. i'm secure enough in my womanhood not to let it bother me, and actually i thought it was a riot. i doubt alot of men would be as easy-going if they were mistaken for women. i remember my sister had a boyfriend who was in a hard rock "hair band" in the 80's and some boston toughs whistled at him when they saw his waist-length blond hair from behind. when he turned around, the tough guys all of a sudden wanted to beat him up. i guess they couldn't deal with the fact that they'd whistled at a guy.

shobha, that's so funny that you were mistaken for a homeless person - i just went to radiation pretty much looking like one too.

v

[Rich66]

That's ok. Someone called me "Sir" recently. I looked behind me.

[1rarebird]

---reminds of my initial visit to the mammography center when the surprised receptionist seeing my face for the first time said that she thought there had been a mistake with the faxed-in orders for my mammogram. I assured her there was no mistake--my name is Philip, not Phyllis.--just goes to show you can't always judge the book by its cover.

[PatriceH]

Happened to me several times, despite dangling earrings. The waiter approaching me from behind, post wig and hair not long enough yet...still not long enough yet...but what the heck! Once even walking dogs in the park, when a mom told little girl to step aside for the lady and her dogs. The little girls said "Mommy, that's a man!"

[StephN]

I think all the store clerks are now trained to be formal and ultra polite in their address of customers. In Safeway today I was called "miss."
As in "Do you need help out today, miss?" That one was not appropriate!!!

[vlcarr]

That hasn't happened to me yet but the checker at the grocery store asked me one day if I was over 65? I know I looked rough and I just laughed and said, no, not yet, even though I'm sure I look it........

I just don't care anymore what they think I am and can laugh about most anything.......gotta keep your sense of humor. I went to a baby shower this weekend and wore the wig and boob. What a pain that is!

[Patb]

This is interesting because of arimidex, I am growing
facial hair, thinning hair on head, etc., its just no
estrogen so whats in the future.
patb

['lizbeth]

When my hair was growing out, some lady insisted I look like a man. I was wearing a pink hat and make-up, so come on . . . I think she'd had one drink too many.