Gender clues

[Christie ann]

This morning I was on a quick shopping trip wearing my bike capris and a wind breaker?I got ma?amed like twice. It got me wondering what clues they wear looking at. I know both instances were just quick glances and what guy would ever wear tight capris pants, but the near balding head, the shapeless top half didn?t register whereas the capris did.

Oh well, not complaining, just wondering about their mental process in making a decision to say to say hello ma?am when they could have said nothing.
Now that so many people are glued to their phones, I think I pass more than I ever thought?either that or I am starring in lots more ?YouTube at Safeway? than I care to imagine.

[Kris Burton]

I think we all know guys tend to gravitate toward certain body parts. Obviously a leg/buttocks man. You are probably quite striking in that area with your capris pants - and that's a good thing!

[Gillian Gigs]

I find that most people are so unobservant that they aren't aware of what planet they are on. I agree with Kris Burton, that most men tend to look at what interests them the most. I also think that most CD'ers are their own worst enemy when it comes to going out. People either don't notice anything, or don't care.

[Karren H]

I think that All those years of sashaying up sediment laden streams has given you a girlish figure, girlfriend!

[candykowal]

Maybe it is your perfume or your deordant?
I shower with Carress, epulate my legs and arms, shampoo with Pantene rose water, I wear coconut and lavender Suavve deordant, and lavishly spritz Jennifer Anastion Beachscapes perfume on my body.
Just saying one of their senses are firing their feminine radar...could be smell!

[Helen_Highwater]

It works both ways.

I was out in drab yesterday and came across what, from 10m away, was a broad shouldered guy inflating a car tyre with an electric air pump. As I walked past I could clearly see the outline of a bra through "his" clothing.

One of us? flashed through my mind and of course I couldn't resist looking back once I was a little distance away. Only then could I clearly see it was a female. Just a large female.

So, I guess that does tell us that the first clues we see are the ones we use which goes some way to explaining how so many of us blend in. The visual signals we send out are used by others to make a snap judgment and unless something else over rides that, that's the one folks use.

[GretchenM]

I think Helen nailed it. Most people don't even notice such things as they are on autopilot. But quickly noticing certain indicators can often result in errors, not only with sex identification but other things as well. Humans identify another person's sex by looking at particular features - shape, size, head hair, and the like come first. This is then followed by more careful looking, especially at face, hands, and arms. We all have certain idealized images about what indicates what and that not only applies to people but many, many other things. It is amazing how often such quick identifications are wrong on closer examination, but behaviorally humans will tend to be more certain about the ID before speaking to the person if it is more than a casual acknowledgement. And with somewhat more cross-gender looks being a bit more common these days it is easy to make a mistake. Seventy years ago such mistakes were rare; today they are more common. Really, no big deal. I think your first paragraph pretty much sums it up.

[AnnieMac]

Ya and some who react badly are just circle jerks - I'm here all week - Try The Veal! )

[Stephanie47]

My father, brother and I were waiting to board the Staten Island Ferry; pre-1965. I saw my father eye was drawn to this figure with back to us with hair down to the butt; definitely a very full thick head of hair. The person turned around and revealed a full beard. "Damn hippie!" exclaimed my father. Hair will definitely draw the conclusion the object of the eye may be a woman.

Shape of the buttocks. Women has wider hips which should create an hour glass figure.

A view from the side, if not the front, showing breast, whether or not the face is concealed.

I think a person's mind's eye has been shaped by societal norms and expectations. A quick fleeting glance that catches only colors may key the mind to assume the person is a woman.

[kellyanne]

Regardless of garb or hairstyle, we have are own experience that most times we can tell a man from a woman approaching from quite a ways off since
there is an average 10 % increase in shoulder to hip ratio by front or profile for men vs women.
" We are only 10,000 years out of the jungle" as my GF was fond of saying - our visual systems are tuned to ID shapes a long way off.
We are hardwired to distinguish M from F.

If one pulls 2 equal groups of M&F randomly the smallest F shoulder to hip ratio is 2 x the average smallest M

There is some very interesting research showing women cue more on chest ratios of men whereas men cue on hips ie more an hourglass which I believe correlates with fertility.

I would say ID at 500 m is not unreasonable if the person was average male or female build and the lighting favors a silhouette.
hands and wrist bones vs female are another.

[JuliannaS]

I was shopping in leggings, sweatshirt, mask, sunglasses and a hat, and a store employee asked "are you all set, ma'am?" I think between the leggings, and the longish hair sticking out from under my hat she made her judgement.

[Maid_Marion]

I have a very feminine figure. 32A, 25 inch waist two inches above the belly button, and 34 inch hips.
I just bought a small mini bodycon dress and all the curves were in the right locations!
I've been able to adjust the activities I do for exercise to spot reduce my waistline. A decade ago it was 32AA-28-34.

I think this is possible because I have very little excess fat.

Marion

[AngelaYVR]

Those Safeway videos on YouTube are the highlight of my week, do not mess with them!

[JenniferMBlack]

I cant find rhyme or reason for the ma'am or sir thing. Males no sense half the time.

[closets]

Were the bike capris the skin tight Lycra kind?

[MonicaPVD]

Most people aren't scanning us for clues as to our gender identity. Most people are so self absorbed that they may catch a quick glimpse of something that instantly identified us as a ma'am or sir and base a passing comment on that. Almost like the many tiny inconsequential decisions we make while driving, based on something we might catch in our peripheral vision.

[SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE]

Mask, sunglasses, and hat sounds like a disguise. If I were a loss prevention specialist at a retail store, I would keep an extra close eye on someone in a mask, sunglasses and hat, nevermind the clothes.

[Bobbi46]

A lot of it is how we act when out dressed, trying to blend in or wanting to be noticed; I wont go into percentages to be precis but i do wonder how many of us actually blend in completely, build is a big give away i would guess. i have reached a happy medium with my dressing and have no problems, just the other day, for the first time a door was held open for me!!

[Christie ann]

It sounds like we are all on about the same page. It’s a little bit of wearing clothes that mostly only women wear coupled with some feminine mannerisms added to a quick glance from someone who is probably a little distracted and not giving us their undivided attention. All good stuff as I know I don’t pass unless it is a moonless night from 10,000 meters away. I’ll take my ma’am’s and miss and ladies anyway I can get them.