The other day I was running along the side of the road in the outfit shown above, wearing my hair in the ridiculously dorky segmented ponytail that is the only style I've found capable of preventing tangles during practice.
I was nearing the end of my four miles when a truck sidled up behind me.
The young man behind the wheel slowed and rolled down his window but instead of calling out simply followed at a leisurely pace.
I looked behind my back, perplexed. Could he have been lost? It was obvious from the driver's appearance that he was a student at my school and he didn't give any indication of not knowing where he was.
I was just about to stop and ask him if he needed directions when he leaned out the window, smiled, and whistled at me. I hadn't even fully processed my shock when he and his friend drove off, roaring with self-congratulatory laughter.
In the dark, they'd mistaken me for a woman.
My cheeks simmered with embarrassment and I silently thanked God that the rest of the team had been far enough ahead of me not to witness the little incident.
I guess I should look on the bright side, though; at the very least, this means I have great thighs.
8 comments:
Two of my sons are often mistaken for girls. They're both thin, with gorgeous long hair, and they wear colors like bright pink and purple. Neither one seems to mind being called "she" now and again.
There is a woman at my work who wears her hair very short. Aside from her non-traditional hair, she is clearly a woman, yet she gets called 'sir' surprisingly often. People don't really LOOK at people it seems.
My husband with the gorgeous, long blonde hair gets stuff like this constantly LOL We were at a race and he was tying his shoe, and the town paper's photographer walked up. He said to my cousin and me, "I'd like to get a photo of you ladies as soon as she's done tying her shoe!" He was *really* red when my husband stood up. The facial hair gives him away every time ;) You'd think the masculine legs (and leg hair!) would also be a clue, but like Laura B said, people don't really look at others very well . . .
I'm sometimes mistaken for a boy which is really embarrassing...
Guys in a pickup truck whistling at lone runners on the side of the road are a sad bunch, in my opinion, but your humour with the situation is wonderful!
I know what you mean about needing to tame the hair beast or else commit to Rastafarianism! I had to chop all mine off recently!
Thanks for visiting my sad little blog recently - it was nice to know somebody cared.
husband used to have long curly hair. He was mistaken for a woman from behind a few times--similar build as you based on your picture. People always wanted to know if it bothered me he had such long hair. I love it. Honestly it's better to happen to you--if it were me I wouldn't have thought "this dude is lost" instead I'd have thought "I don't feel safe."--rl
So true! Vigorously nodding my head in agreement!
Jo(e): I don't terribly mind it either, even if it is occasionally awkward.
Laura B.: I've had people look directly at me when I haven't shaved for a few days and still think I was a girl. Given, I don't get a whole lot of facial hair, but I don't know any girls who have a full covering of peach fuzz.
Beemama: It's best to just laugh about it. It can be kind of funny.
Anonymously Me: I think it's rougher for girls when it happens that way.
WeBeToys: I ran once with my hair down and it got so tangled I thought it would need to be cut. One exhausted hair comb and half a bottle of conditioner later, I was tangle-free.
RL: They didn't come off as being very menacing. It was actually kind of funny.
The Tame Lion: Are you another victim of mistaken gender?
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