I am a woman

Do the rest of you lovely ladies get mistaken for being male simply by your posting style?

I get it every single time I post on boards.

(I am a woman by the way).

I think it has to do with tone, I am curt and to the point. In person I'm just called a b*tch, I can sort of understand why I get mistaken for male online.

Does it insult you? It makes me feel less every time.

Mars Bar

All the time! I was practically undercover in the soccer forum for years and nobody knew any different. It was quite funny when a few posters figured it out!

It doesn't bother me at all.

Stheno

I thinks its more due to a majority of posters being male and assuming everyone else is too tbh

Mars Bar

Mars Bar wrote: »

All the time! I was practically undercover in the soccer forum for years and nobody knew any different. It was quite funny when a few posters figured it out!

It doesn't bother me at all.

I wondered about you for a while now!! Now I'm relieved to find out!

MrWalsh

Sometimes. It can depend on the forum.

It's grand tho!

Mars Bar

Deleted User wrote: »

I wondered about you for a while now!! Now I'm relieved to find out!

:D

meeeeh

No I don't think so. It depends in which forums you post too. Also I think the name can create an impression. In my head Mars Bar is a type of chocolate mostly men like so I would assume the poster is male even n before reading anything.

baby and crumble

I think occasionally yes, but more often I'm mistaken for a man in real life.

It makes public toilet visits a bit of a nightmare.

TheBeardedLady

Definitely not.

TheBeardedLady

Mars Bar wrote: »

All the time! I was practically undercover in the soccer forum for years and nobody knew any different. It was quite funny when a few posters figured it out!

It doesn't bother me at all.

MrWalsh wrote: »

Sometimes. It can depend on the forum.

It's grand tho!

I thought you were both male.

baby and crumble

baby and crumble wrote: »

I think occasionally yes, but more often I'm mistaken for a man in real life.

It makes public toilet visits a bit of a nightmare.

I was told, at the young, vunerable age of 22, that the men's were that way...

Actually still hurt from that, 12 years later!

I don't think "budgese" would equal male, but 99% of boards posters are surprised to find out I'm female!

LenaClaire

I think if your name is not very feminine, people on boards assume you are male.

I think it is just the internet way, assume male until otherwise told :rolleyes:

Stheno

LenaClaire wrote: »

I think if your name is not very feminine, people on boards assume you are male.

I think it is just the internet way, assume male until otherwise told :rolleyes:

My username is that of Medusas older sister :pac:

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

No, it must be my delicately feminine posting style which gives it away

Penny Tration

With previous usernames (jingle balls, green_screen, Esoteric_, some others), many people assumed I was male.

People now assume I'm female, and named Jenny. I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

I also knew Mars Bar was female. :cool:

Das Kitty

Amazingly, even with this username, yes, I've been mistaken for a hairy bloke.

It wasn't even on a day when I was feeling manly. :pac:

Stheno

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

With previous usernames (jingle balls, green_screen, Esoteric_, some others), many people assumed I was male.

People now assume I'm female, and named Jenny. I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

I also knew Mars Bar was female. :cool:

Jenni Thalia might have been better?

I too knew MB was female.

meeeeh

I actually don't bother with guessing anybody's gender. Half of the time I wouldn't even look at the poster's name and I just read the post. However I do find it entertaining guessing people's gender in PI when someone goes in the serious trouble to disguise their oh's gender. In almost all cases it is obvious from a mile if the poster is male or female.

MrWalsh

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

With previous usernames (jingle balls, green_screen, Esoteric_, some others), many people assumed I was male.

People now assume I'm female, and named Jenny. I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

I also knew Mars Bar was female. :cool:

Omg! You were all those posters? I liked them all!

I didn't get the pun til I said it out loud! Just goes to show that our brains behave differently reading versus speaking.

testicle

MrWalsh wrote: »

Sometimes. It can depend on the forum.

It's grand tho!

Perhaps your username confuses people?

How so Joe

I don't often get gender confusion about this account, mostly because I post largely in this forum. Doesn't bother me when it does happen, though.

Penny Tration

MrWalsh wrote: »

Omg! You were all those posters? I liked them all!

I didn't get the pun til I said it out loud! Just goes to show that our brains behave differently reading versus speaking.

:pac: Yeah, all me. All bar Esoteric_ were this account, I just subscribed and changed username a few times.

Stheno

I do regularly get mistaken for a man in real life, just this evening I was buying a lighter in the hotel reception I was in and the chap behind the counter called me sonny :rolleyes:

ABajaninCork

I find it all amusing. A lot of posters assume I am male, Irish and white...

I am none of those things! :pac:

skallywag

MrWalsh wrote: »

Sometimes. It can depend on the forum.

It's grand tho!

Well you of all people can hardly have a gripe I think

MrWalsh

skallywag wrote: »

Well you of all people can hardly have a gripe I think

Its my first bosses name actually - I never even thought of gender when I picked it.

But yeah, I know what you mean!

John Mason

It doesn't bother me, I have been told to leave a few female dominated forums on boards. That I have no idea what it is to be a woman usual internet Shi.te from women who are supposed to be supporting each other

leahyl

A number of posters on here assume my name is Leah:D

I find it more interesting why people want to hide their gender, I know the theory behind it and the desire not to have some say you only said/believe that because your a woman. The reality is that it does not work like that I think.

MrWalsh

mariaalice wrote: »

I find it more interesting why people want to hide their gender, I know the theory behind it and the desire not to have some say you only said/believe that because your a woman. The reality is that it does not work like that I think.

Well a bit like in real life I suppose. My husband got bullied on the road while driving his tiny "womans" car and the driver who was doing the bullying almost died of fright when he unfolded all 6ft 4 of himself at the next traffic light and asked yer man what he was doing?

People make assumptions and their inner prejudices take over whether its real life or on the internet.

Malari

Occasionally I do, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

TheBeardedLady

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

With previous usernames (jingle balls, green_screen, Esoteric_, some others), many people assumed I was male.

People now assume I'm female, and named Jenny. I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

I also knew Mars Bar was female. :cool:

I knew it! Sussed you a few days ago! Thought you were gone and glad to know you're not.



Edit: I didn't know you were Jingle_Balls though.

doodlebops2015

I've been mistakenly labelled a man because I said both my husband and I are bisexual.
Actually more than mistakenly labelled, more like accused of trying to trick people ..

fits

My username and avatar are vague I guess. But I've been around the site long enough that I reckon most people know by now.

strobe

Deleted User wrote: »

Do the rest of you lovely ladies get mistaken for being male simply by your posting style?

I get it every single time I post on boards.

(I am a woman by the way).

I think it has to do with tone, I am curt and to the point. In person I'm just called a b*tch, I can sort of understand why I get mistaken for male online.

Does it insult you? It makes me feel less every time.

Honestly I think people online just tend to presume male, unless there is something specifically female, username, avatar, post content etc, (not sure why that is, come to think of it, I suppose lots of female posters tend to go for quite overtly feminine usernames and/or avatars, so the presumption is that if someone doesn't and has gender neutral one's, then they're probably male?), don't think it's a tone thing, or anything about curtness or being to the point, or not, as the case may be.

strobe

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

Went right over my head too. Good one.

beks101

Yeah I think it's just the default-male interwebz thing.

I've had a few "yeah man I agree" or "like beks101 said about his blah blah blah..." which I've found mildly amusing over the years. I reckon my username is fairly obviously female and my posts tend to be quite emotive which I'd have guessed to be a female trait in a general sense.

rainbow kirby

If there wasn't a long history behind this account then it would go about 50/50 gender wise - my set of interests is not the most feminine!

Jenny Thalia

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

With previous usernames (jingle balls, green_screen, Esoteric_, some others), many people assumed I was male.

People now assume I'm female, and named Jenny. I thought more would get the pun in my username, not just assume I'm a woman called Jenny :pac:

I also knew Mars Bar was female. :cool:

/Smacks forehead!

Clever!

Ilyana 2.0

I don't think I've ever been mistaken for a man, my username is pretty feminine though. Don't think it would bother me in the least anyway!

ancapailldorcha

I was mistaken for being female once by a certain... unsavoury individual who used to post here. I was having little difficulty tearing his posts apart. No doubt he thought he was being derogatory.

ancapailldorcha

Candie wrote: »

/Smacks forehead!

Clever!

I missed it as well.

Ave Sodalis

I think I just need to subscribe and change my name to be honest...

TheBeardedLady

Surprised I'm not mistaken for a man more often what with the beard and stuff. Har har.

meeeeh

TheBeardedLady wrote: »

Surprised I'm not mistaken for a man more often what with the beard and stuff. Har har.

For me there is very strong association to the The Bald Soprano. I know you weren't thinking of Ionesco when picking the name but that is what I think of when I see it.

In fairness with the freedom picking the name brings you can get completely different interpretations. I was thinking of using "meh" but decided against it so I added few e's. No deeper meaning no intention of being gender neutral or gender specific. in fairness 90% of my ..posts are in tll and Fashion so (almost) nobody will confuse me for a man.

LynnGrace

Just once on a (light hearted) thread, a poster said to me 'I don't know if you are male or female'...before going on to make whatever point they were making.
I would have thought the name was a giveaway.

Penny Tration

TheBeardedLady wrote: »

I knew it! Sussed you a few days ago! Thought you were gone and glad to know you're not.



Edit: I didn't know you were Jingle_Balls though.

:pac: A quick look at my profile would have told you. This is the same account as the green_screen account, I just changed name a few times :pac:

TheBeardedLady

Jenny Thalia wrote: »

:pac: A quick look at my profile would have told you. This is the same account as the green_screen account, I just changed name a few times :pac:

Not much of a profile looker-ater, you see.

ShazGV

I don't think I've been mistaken for a guy, but then again the username is a female nickname, so.

LynnGrace

ShazGV wrote: »

I don't think I've been mistaken for a guy, but then again the username is a female nickname, so.

I'd say the same about mine...that it would be automatically assumed I'm female.
It wasn't even relevant, to the thread, as far as I remember, the one time someone said 'I don't know if you are male or female'