Infinite_Loser

Being 6' 7" people, on first impression, usually ask me if I play(ed) basketball (After the obligatory "How tall are you?" and/or "Wow! You're tall!" comments). At first if used to bother me, but now I just kinda' laugh at it and kindly tell them 'no' since I know that most people don't mean anything negative by their comments.

Is anyone else usually asked the same question on a daily basis based on their physical appearance/attributes and how do you handle it?

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Shauk

i'm 6'6" and 300 lbs and my question is always football instead of bastketball. but when I say no, THEN THEY ASK ABOUT BASKETBALL

truth is I never played any school sports. heh.

tall people are freaks I guess.

analog

In high school, and for several years thereafter when I still looked like I could be in high school, "do you play football?"

No, I've never played football. I did, however, play soccer for 10 years. My large build just doesn't scream "soccer player" for some reason.

Also because of my large frame, I'm routinely asked if I'm a bouncer/security if I'm wearing the right things in a club, or I'm asked if I'm someone's bodyguard. It might sound funny, but I seriously get asked this once every few times I go downtown with some friends. If I spend any kind of time standing, it's inevitable... apparently when I stand it's very "solid", I don't move much at all, and I fold my arms/hands in a very specific way that apparently screams "bodyguard/security".

I've never worked as a bouncer, security, or bodyguard. lol

stevie667

Do you work here?

Nah, not really, i just like carrying around empty bottles and 3ft tall stacks of glasses because its fun.


Maybe its the grim expression i have when walking around, it is amusing to watch people go to ask a question, stop, ponder if they should ask the angry looking person (who just bent down to pick up the glass you dropped) something inane. I do normally have a grim expression, and people don't randomly ask me on the street if i'm a hobo (well, not often).


Ooo, that and being shown peoples ID as the walk past me into clubs and pubs. Happens every christmas when i go to a club, put on the obligitary santa hat and sharp suit, then stand outside with my arms crossed that way waiting for the rest of the drunks to catch up.


I will either glare or smile at you, directly dependant on how much shorter you are than me.

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JustJess

For a while at work, I was being asked if I were pregnant/had I gained weight etc. by more than one person. This after a gain of like 10 pounds... and I'm 5'8", that's not a lot on this frame!!

People ask me for help a lot in random places, but that's probably because I'm just the one noticing they need it. That's about it!

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My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talkin'.

shesus

My mom gets the same "Did you play basketball?" question. She's 6' and when she was in school, the coach did want her to play, but she's non-athletic.

Right after I graduated college, I started substituting to get some moving money. I had gotten a short-term stint at the junior high school. One day, I was walking down the hall on my break and got detention because I wasn't in class. The teacher thought I was a student. I was a bit offended as the students in the building were 12-15 and I was 22 at the time. But now I guess it's a compliment that I look so young.

Another thing that always happens is that my step-daughter and I get referred to as sisters when we go anywhere. And I love the look on their faces when I correct them since we're only 12 years apart.

JJ: Before I lost my 20+ lbs someone asked me how far along I was. That is what caused me to realize I need to lose weight.

I'm think of some of the worst things that could be mistakenly asked and I think "How much?" would be horrific.

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I heard you sold it

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World's King

I get the "how tall are you" all the time. Cause I'm short.


Other then that the only thing people ask me everyday is, "Can I have more water?"

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heavy is the head that wears the crown

Grasshopper Green

When I was in junior high and high school, I was constantly asked "What are you?". With my tan complexion (which was darker when I was younger), dark eyes and hair, I stood out from all the pasty, very white, blond haired, blue eyed Mormon kids. Most kids thought I was Italian or Spanish...but really I have Native American blood from both my mom and dad. I don't get it much anymore, although when hubby and I went to Mexico the hotel employees, etc. all spoke Spanish directly to me before speaking to hubby, and were always surprised when I told them I didn't speak Spanish.

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"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"

Formerly Medusa

Mister Coaster

When I was on my diet I always had the same conversation...

them: How are you losing so much weight?
me: Diet & excersize.
them: You're doing that low carb thing, right?
me: No, I'm doing a low-fat thing.
them: so you don't count carbs at all?
me: No.
them: But carbs are bad, you can't lose weight if you eat carbs.
me: Yes you can, I did.
They usually still didn't believe me.

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QuasiMondo

They always ask me if I play basketball. They seem disappointed when they learn that I am completely nonathletic.

I used to get upset when I would get carded at bars, but now I think it's pretty cool that I still get carded at my age.

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Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

stevie667

I ID'd a 32 year old today, didn't look a day over 14. I guess he gets it alot because he had it in his hand ready to go when he got to the bar.

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ItWasMe

I'm pretty short, and I don't think anyone has ever said "Wow! You're short. How short are you? Have you thought of being a jockey or holding up coffee tables for a living?"

However, I work in a busy retail establishment, and have been mistaken for a clerk when I am shopping at other nearby stores. Maybe they recognize my face? I was shopping for exercise equipment at GI Joes recently, and was asked by a man if he could try on "this handful of clothes." I smiled and told him, "Sure. That's fine with me. But you might want to find an employee to unlock the dressing room door."

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"Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez

I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

ngdawg

"What hair coloring do you use?" My usual answer is, "None. I'd pick out something a bit nicer if I did." (even hair stylists have asked, remarking about my 'unusual color and highlights')
"Do you work here?" asked when I worked at Kohl's, sporting the name tag and
always asked when I'm doing something like folding towels, stacking or pricing stuff, so I always answer back with a smartass, "Nah...I just like fixing merchandise" or" I sure hope so or I'm wasting a lot of time doing this!"
"Are those real?" Yes, and they are spectacular! (and yes, I have been asked that probably a half dozen times, by people who'd seen my old site and, believe it or not, my sister's boyfriend!)

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la petite moi

Well, I suppose being 6'7" is better than being 7'9"- I watched a programme about how a man of that stature was actually followed around and, despite having no experience playing basketball, was immediately recruited.

When I was a kid, people would ask me if my parents were divorced based on my last name and my mom's last name- she never changed it. I know that doesn't have anything to do with looks, but...

Uhm, I have also been asked if I was homeless before, due to how sick I looked while still working at Starbucks in downtown San Jose.

Women have complimented my wedding ring with hesitation, and then ask: "Are you...uhm...married?"

Sion

the question I get alot is this (more of a request/plea than a question...but still):

Please don't kill me...

or

Please let me go, I won't tell anyone anything.


funny thing is...it's different people all the time.

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He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

Zeraph

Not quite the same thing but apparently I have a naturally sad (or angry depending on the person) face. Meaning that just my slack, relaxed expression looks that way, not that I scowl a lot. So I get a lot of "what's wrong?" or "why are you angry/sad?" questions from people who don't know me. Sometimes I even get strangers who come up to me and ask if I need help. My sister has it too, though no one else in my family does.

ngdawg

That was YOU? That stocking over your head was really distorting

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Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

Psycho Dad

For the record...

I have never been a Chipendale's dancer.

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Willravel

People think I'm older than I am. Pretty boring. I'm 6', so I'm not really tall or short. I'm white. I have an average build. I have brown hair and brown eyes. Really, it's all kinda bland.

roachboy

one of my superpowers is being invisible.
o sure, sometimes the situation in which i am is such that i have to be seen.
these are characterised by intense inner conflict between my superpowers and the situation.
so people might well ask me the same thing over and over, but i dont notice.

sometimes the situation in which i am is such that i am implied.
these usually involve my being an explanation for the positioning of the leash behind su tong the wonder husky when we are out for a walk:
is he a wolf?
he has two different color eyes. is he blind? is that normal?
is he an alaskan fox terrier?
who's walking who?

at parties, i sit in a corner and smoke cigarettes.
my friends locate me by tracing the cloud of smoke back to the point where it narrows.

it's strange because i'm 6'2" tall with alot of hair and a beard and a kind of big presence.
but mostly i'm completely invisible.

sometimes people ask me: how do you become completely invisible?
but often by that time i have moved, so they are addressing the wall or the urinal.
i am reluctant to give instructions.
it is better that this be seen as a superpower.

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

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snowy

I've lost 47 pounds now, and I always get asked that question. It's the Eat More Fiber and Move Your Ass diet, because it seems to me that people need to think there's some kind of trick to it, or an easy way to do it. Nope, no easy way. More whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, and more exercise.

My dad, uncle, and cousins always get asked the "did you play basketball" question, and my brother gets asked if he played football. I guess I just don't look athletic enough for those kinds of questions.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jinn

I'm 6'6". Every motherfucker I meet asks me this question.

Trust me, you're not alone.

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Midnight

roflmao -

ok to the tall people... I'm 5 ft 11. thats NOT short, but when I meet a person that is for instance *looks at jinnkai and flinches* 6 ft 6, I never ask how tall they are, I just will look up and lock my baby blues on your eyes and say "wow". and stand there frozen until you say something. I'm not your "usual " person. when asked as a child what i wanted to be when I grew up, it was never "teacher, nurse, etc" but either "alone" or "tall". The "tall" still goes. I'm grown up now, but I still want to be tall when i grow up.*grin*

I'm 34. im asked CONSTANTLY what color i use on my hair. I'm either called a liar of looked at in slack jawed confusion when I answer "I dont know, the strands of DNA didnt say." I dont die my hair. i doubt i ever will. i have a strand here and there that is sparkly silver, feel free to look - and it goes from ROOT TO TIP. ppl with dyed hair dont have that. lol

Lasereth

I guess the overwhelming question people ask me is why I'm not in school. I'm 23 and I've been told I look 15-16ish depending on if I've shaved that day or not. On my first day at my new job one of my coworkers thought I looked 15 and thought it was a joke that I was working there. That was the same day the hair stylist asked me why I wasn't in school also (she guessed 16).

Then the other is "OMG ARE YOU TWINS??????" when my brother is around (we are).

Elphaba

Without fail, when I give my last name and add "with an X", I'm asked if I'm related to Jimi. I stopped being annoyed by it years ago and usually have something smart mouthed to say in return. I've caught myself doing it to other people so I'm just as guilty repeating the obvious question that very tall people get.

I *have* asked a urinal about it's superpowers, but I was impaired at the time.

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la petite moi

I've been asked a few times if I'm a lesbian. (In high school I was exceedingly affectionate with my best girl friend, and regularly hung out with a lesbian couple while dating my now-husband.)

My husband and I have been asked if we're brother and sister a couple times, too...

As children, my sister and I were ALWAYS mistaken for twins. My dad came up with a catchy little phrase to respond to the questions. "No, but we're ugly enouhg to be." Gee, thanks dad.

Sion

I have a bachelor's degree in English.

if I had a dollar for every time I've been asked if I wanted to be a teacher....I could take everyone in this thread out for a good steak dinner.

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He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

warrrreagl

"Where did you get your red hair from?"

A) My mother was a pink flamingo
B) I stand on my head a lot
C) I eat 200 carrots a day

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Living is easy with eyes closed.

Sion

you promised you wouldn't say anything.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you now.

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He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

Meditrina

Now that my youngest child will be starting kindergarten in the fall, I keep getting asked if I will have another baby now.



ummm.... NO THANKS!!

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Randerolf

People come up to me in stores and expect that I'm the manager. I should wear a shirt that says FUCK THIS COURT after work instead of a button-down, white oxford.

People just approach me with questions or "Do you work here?" when it's never happened before.

Lady Sage

I had a waiter once that was over 7 foot tall. I told him I was sorry for being rude, but how tall was he. After he answered, I asked the first question that came to mind. Is it difficult to find clothing that fits? I guess I dont ask the usual questions. He was glad I asked that one, it seems not many people cared about the day to day aspect of being an amazon. I was glad I could make his day.

People see the star around my neck and ask me a lot if I am Jewish. It seems they cant distinguish that my star has 5 points... not 6.

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Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
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warrrreagl

Maybe they think you're one of the Lost Tribes, and that they didn't get the 6th point, or something.

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Living is easy with eyes closed.

RenaissanceII

Been there, done that! But it is quite another to be in a store down the street from work, in my civies, and asked where this item is? I DUNNOW!?!

/thinks whistfully of Al Jaffee's "Snappy comebacks for Stupid questions"

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin


I Wish You Well.

Fast Forward

I'm short, so I get the opposite end of the stick. You get the girls, I get nothin' but nasty comments and stupid jokes.

I met someone once who was telling me about some guy she met. She told me, "He was short - but he was allright anyway".

Redlemon

Not me, but my wife is constantly asked to provide directions. It doesn't matter where we are, even on vacation she'll be approached for directions. As far as we can tell, it's because she looks non-threatening and confident.
Pedantic correction: amazons are female. They were a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology. My Latin & mythology teacher said that the derivation of the term is "without breast", because they would cut off their right breast to make it easier to draw a bowstring, but a bit of web research seems to through that derivation into question.

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Mister Coaster

I'll have to remember those. I used to get asked that a lot when I was a kid, but not so much as an adult. Now its reversed, people will see me with my daughter, who has my red hair, and they say "Well, I see where she got her red hair."

And actually, I get another one, but its usually when I'm with my sister. People look at us and say "I can totally tell that you are brother and sister, you look alike." Well, we do, but we were both adopted. Then their next question... "Are you 'real' siblings?" As if the same couple would give up 2 kids for adoption that were 4 years apart. Duh.

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If you have any poo... fling it NOW!

albania

I don't know why, but that brought a smile to my face.


I never really get asked any questions based on appearance. I do usually get the same response over and over again when I tell people my major. I suppose things like this are really only as tedious and annoying as you let them be.

LoganSnake

In college, people have started to compliment me on my name. It has never happened before. I've received at least half a dozen by now. All used a variation of the word "awesome". Weird.

"Are you sure you're 21?" "No, I have memory lapses and forget my own age. Now, can you please ring up my bottle of Kahlua?"

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Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

snowy

That's because, as I said in the other thread, your name IS awesome.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau