Well I'll be damned.
I have never looked my age; it was a curse when I was younger, especially when I reached legal drinking age but had no photo ID - I would be refused entry to licenced premises because I didn't look old enough and couldn't prove my age.
However, now I'm in my 40's. and the only giveaway is the little bit of grey in my hair and the spare tyre I'm trying to keep under control.
If I was a gym junkie and dyed my hair, I could easily pass for being in my mid to late 20's!
As for the androgynous look, that could well explain the bullying many of us suffered or continue to suffer - acting different is bad enough, but looking different makes you stand out.
You can't do anything about the body you're born with; at least not without expensive and potentially dangerous surgery.
I have small hands, small feet, am of slight build, and only thanks to regular swimming do I have an upper body anywhere near typical of a man. Even as a teenager I was a slight thin androgynous looking thing, that could possibly have passed as a girl, had I dressed that way.
I've never felt or considered myself "macho" but certainly don't have any ambiguity about my sexuality, I'm straight and have always identified as such, but I'm not into team sports, not into proving myself by feats of strength, and have never been keen on boxing, wrestling, or other manly pursuits,; though I do watch these things from time to time, but almost with the same fascination as I would watch a documentary on other cultures - it's just an alien culture and mindset to me.
I did get into martial arts for a time (karate) and this did help my poor co-ordination, lack of self esteem, and anxiety to some degree though.
This is certainly not a troll thread, nor is it merely a matter of opinion, always best to back your statements up with evidence where possible, and you've done just that.
Well done.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the only reason why we fall on the spectrum, but it is a compelling and interesting bit of information, and seems a very likely contributing factor.
In my opinion, and that of the majority though, ASD is caused by a cluster of contributing factors, and is not unlike making a cake or a brew of beer - you need all the ingredients working together under the right conditions to make it, but you may get some variants if you have only some of the factors, or have them in different ratios; like John Elder Robison's "Proto Aspergians".
Very thought provoking and good to see some of us looking outside of the "why me" and "this sucks" to try to find some answers as to what causes this thing.
For me all things considered, I don't think I'd want to stop being an Aspie, even if it were possible; I'd really like to learn to cope better and be more accepted though.
08 Jul 2013, 3:16 pm
