Fist

[Joanne f]

This is a spin off from Crissy Kays post about violence as it got me thinking (i know a bad thing) when he mentioned fistfights.
I have this thing about hands and in the way that the hands show what is inside of you so i am absolutely fascinated buy a very feminine hand gesture or gestures and it is one of the things that i would love to achieve and it got me thinking is a fist one of the most male like gestures as it is looked upon as an aggressive gesture. do you find your self using it without thinking that is is an aggressive singe, Told you it was bad when i start to think

[Ze]

I rarely make a fist for whatever reason. Most "masculine" or "feminine" hand gestures are based on cultural norms, so I try not to impose more on myself than already have been imposed. Perhaps it came to me naturally at one point--just as a supposedly feminine swish would have--but I've since been labeled and programmed as female, so we'll never know. And deprogramming sucks.

Not that I'd ever want fists to become my usual way of acting, anyway. It implies aggression, and I'm not an aggressive person.

[Thornton]

I actually keep my hands in fists, if they're not in my pockets or holding things. Why do I do it? Because if I do anything else, I'll notice after a while that it feels awkward.

And from my experience of observing gender body language for that past year or so, I would agree that the fist is the more of a male gesture. Or a seemingly un-lively hand. If a guy makes a lot of hand gestures on a daily basis, he's either perceived as Italian, or Gay. (Not my perception, but that's just how it is).

[Ze]

What if you're a gay Italian? Do you gesture even more?

[ZenFrost]

I don't really make fists... not as a gesture, not for hitting things, not really for anything. Maybe kneading bread, but that's about it.

[Thornton]

What if you're a gay Italian? Do you gesture even more?

....Gay Italians need a personal space radius of at least 2.5 feet whenever they have something to say. 5 feet if it's something intresting....

Man, I don't know. Stereotypes never make sense, and you just found a hole in this one.

[Dressing Jill]

My nails are a 1/4" past the ends of my fingers. I couldn't make a fist. I guess I could but it would hurt and my nails would dig into my palms.

I talk with my hands and love to show of my nails. They are a conversation starter. But of course I love to talk and show off my hands.

I really love my life. No fist here maybe a slap could be instore.LOL.....

[SirTrey]

I ball My hands up into a fist a lot, especially when stressed....not because I'm going to hit anyone, I just sort of "pump My hand" (or both at the same time)....I apparently also ball up My fist and sort of "tap it" on the table when I am thinking or irked about something (this is second hand information because I asked a couple of people, "do I make fists a lot?") I hadn't really thought much about it prior to asking. I don't know that it's aggressive, necessarily...more a way of warding OFF aggression.

[Ze]

....Gay Italians need a personal space radius of at least 2.5 feet whenever they have something to say. 5 feet if it's something intresting....

Man, I don't know. Stereotypes never make sense, and you just found a hole in this one.

[SirTrey]

STRAIGHT Italians need a personal space of 2.5 - 5 feet....I know because I have a former partner who is Italian.