It's a curse sometimes, being born to grow up this way.
Everywhere I go, people have a second look at me. They point, stare, nudge their friends: "Have you seen Him!".
I get called names, I'm made the butt of decidedly unfunny jokes by infantile wags, and I'm expected to find them funny too. When I was much younger I was picked on because of it, bullied at school.
Drunks want to pick fights with me. Men with squeaky voices react aggressively to my presence. Sometimes pasty-faced women in ill-fitting tracksuits do too. People are not afraid to voice opinions about my private parts in public. I'm expected to see that as entirely reasonable, funny even. Pretty much average in case you were wondering, sorry to disappoint.
Some products and services are unavailable to me because of what I am. Some airlines won't fly me, others expect me to pay extra to sit in a separate part of the aircraft. Some car dealers will not offer me a product I can use. There are leisure venues that point-blank refuse to let me use their facilities. I'm reduced to buying clothing from specialist suppliers for people like me, and even then I sometimes get insensitive treatment from their staff.
I've had medical issues because of all this. I'm lucky, other people like me have had significantly worse problems than mine.
Nobody rushes to the defence of people made this way. Film and television portrays us as aggressive thugs at worst, lumbering simpletons at best. If we do defend ourselves, we're automatically in the wrong. Among ourselves, we're all pretty annoyed about being faced with the stuff I've just been talking about, but since it's not illegal, there's nothing much that can be done about it. Just suck it up, put up with it, live with it, move on. Can't you take a joke?, they say.
Even the sodding door frames are too low for me. No, it ain't easy being green.
What a touching post. The world would be a much better place if we cared for one another on a much better level. Thanks for the insight.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bree. I wrote it in a fit of pique a while back and sat on it, not sure whether it was a bit over the top.
ReplyDeleteJenny, really I think the only reason for this post is the one you did not mention. The difficulty of passing (at least in your mind) as a very tall woman.
ReplyDeleteI am 6 inches shorter than you but have always had this feeling. Not so now when I have seen absolutely beautiful ciswomen who are basketball players and bask in their femininity. They get looks too, you know.
My son, btw, is the same height as you.
Calie xxx
There's some of that, but it was a more general rant too.
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