Tailor Archive
Thread: Gender assumptions
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Vesobe
Tue Jul 27, 2004 6:17 am
#1
Before I start - this isn't a whine - I thought this was funny as hell when it happened. 
Making an order for a client. She's bought stuff of me before and asked me questions via /tell about things on my vendors. She's dancing in coronet cantina, I'm making the order outside cos they won't let my droid in.
Important point here - we've never talked face to face.
The client says "That's the problem with this game - there's just not enough girls like you or me in it, yanno?" (or something to that effect. Hey, I'm supposed to be working right now, so I don't have access to the /tell log 
)
)"hehehehe - I'm male. it's the giggle, isn't it? Confuses everyone," quothe I.
"Yes, it's the giggle," She replies.
A couple of minutes pass. Then she writes, "So what made you decide to create a female character and do a feminine profession if you're male?"
"I didn't. Vesobe's Male. I chose tailor 'cos I prefer to build things than break them" (watch my goth fp drain away on that confession)
"Oh - I didn't mean to offend you!"
I reassured her she didn't, and all was well...
so, male tailors, straight, gay, bi and other... Seriously, why do you do it? Do you find customers are confused to find you've at least one Y cromasome (can't spell it, didn't do bio-chemistry at college )
)Moreover, are people going to be making assumptions as to the quality of my design work based on my (apparent) gender? Are people assuming male tailors are somehow not the real deal?
Just curious.
FWI - I have long hair too (see the goth statement above) and have done since the age of 17. So that's about 11 years worth of people thinking me female from a distance in real life too. 
Tiaga
Tue Jul 27, 2004 6:27 am
#2
Hehe, I have that problem too. Once me and a friend (Who also has that problem) were in the men's room facing away from the door, so all you could see was our long hair. An old man walks in, sees us, and apologizes, stepping out thinking he went into the wrong restroom.
But back to in-game... Being a tailor/dancer, I get it double. It went away for a bit on the forums when I liked the galaxy guys calendar, but came right back when I changed that to my catalog, even though the "master dancer for the ladies" line is still there. In game, I used to ignore it (But my friends would usually correct them) but now I take it as a compliment.
I don't think it really gives any sort of assumptions of the quality of my work. Good work speaks for itself. If you stock your vendors with nothing but blacks and grays, that will say a lot more than your chromosomes will. Likewise if you stock it with loud tasteless colors. Put in nice colors in tasteful styles, and you'll be a big hit. Of course, Tiaga was always a hit with the ladies.
But back to in-game... Being a tailor/dancer, I get it double. It went away for a bit on the forums when I liked the galaxy guys calendar, but came right back when I changed that to my catalog, even though the "master dancer for the ladies" line is still there. In game, I used to ignore it (But my friends would usually correct them) but now I take it as a compliment.
I don't think it really gives any sort of assumptions of the quality of my work. Good work speaks for itself. If you stock your vendors with nothing but blacks and grays, that will say a lot more than your chromosomes will. Likewise if you stock it with loud tasteless colors. Put in nice colors in tasteful styles, and you'll be a big hit. Of course, Tiaga was always a hit with the ladies.
Syzygy-Gorath
Tue Jul 27, 2004 6:59 am
#3
Lucky for me, since I'm lazy, I've already written an article that touches on this question. Clicky! (You should see when I've been switching toons back and forth between the female ones and the male ones—having a compo-clad, flamer-toting Master Commando giggle and call people 'hon' is a pretty funny sight )
)Message Edited by Syzygy-Gorath on 07-27-2004 09:59 AM
Vesobe
Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:10 am
#4
I remember reading that when it was first put up there, now that I think of it - good work.
Syzygy-Gorath wrote:
Lucky for me, since I'm lazy, I've already written an article that touches on this question. Clicky! (You should see when I've been switching toons back and forth between the female ones and the male ones—having a compo-clad, flamer-toting Master Commando giggle and call people 'hon' is a pretty funny sight
GunheadD9
Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:24 am
#5
Teeheeheehee! Its an interesting question, and a good article on SWGtailor that Syzygy-Gorath put up there. Personally I always play Females in a computer game when given the chance -- I used to catch a lot of shize from my frineds about it "why do you play girls, are you a f*g? Are you g*y?" And I would just sit back and smirk and run alittle mental exercise with them -- goes something like this:
"So when you play a game, you usually are in 1st person view, right?" I ask.
"Yeah, unless I'm in 3rd person" they say.
"So would you say that about 50% of the time you are in 3rd person pov?" I ask.
"Sure, that's about right."
"So, let me get this straight. For half of the time you are playing a game, you are in 3rd person view, looking at your avatar fromt he back, right?" I ask.
"Umm... Yeah, why?"
"So you soend Half your time playing a game looking at some burly dude's backside. You spend half your time looking at some big hulking man's ripped biceps and tight little butt squeezed into that infiltration suit? Come on -- Now think about what you've been asking me..."
That usually shuts them up. Personally, I find beauty in the female form (I'm an artist in RL) and I find the thought ofbeautiful womenkicking arse quite awesome. So when I'm playing a computer game, I like to play beautiful women who can kick the shize outta you. In short, I like to look at something pretty, which is probably why I went master tailor instead of say weaponsmith or creature handler or chef.
As to customers and their perception, well I really dont care what they think, I keep my vendors stocked with prettys and plenty of people keep coming back. I figure I talk like a fellow most of the time, save dropping a 'hon' or a giggle or a kiss on the cheek when it suits. I figure it helps with the beautiful woman kicking much arse persona, you know? I can't imagine that a tailor who is male woulod have any harder time making money, as long as they had a vendor up. Most sales you aren't around for, so its somewhat a moot point what gender you are, eh?
Oh and I used to have long curly red hair (in a Mohawk, cause I was such a hardcore punk that the Exploited took lessons), but being 6'5 and built like a Defensive Gaurd kinda makes people assume that I'm not a girl, but a dude with long curlyhair. Aaaah College....
Rock on!
Agent44
Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:13 am
#6
The whole stereotype that tailoring is a woman's profession is ridiculous.
I'm tired of power gamers who come up to you and assume you're gay for being a male tailor. II never had this problem though because my name (Eldrin) is rather masculine.
I think your customer thought you were a female mainly because you see many more female tailors running around cities that males, and your name could work both ways. (No offence intended)
hakk
Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:17 am
#7
I'm a male tailor and male in real life. I've nevercame across this situation but i guess i would react like this: "Honey, does it look likeI'm gay?"
But I wouldn't blamea person if he or shethink's im gay. My tailor boutique is called "Queereye for the Rebell Guy".
madysonhope
Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:23 am
#8
ok. i am a female in rl and ig, but before i did tailor, i had 2 tailors i hit all the time... maggie (f) and armani(m)
maggie was great cause we were friends in game and she would do anything i asked for.... couldn't complain
armani was great as well cause he did a different style... and you could easily tell he was a male by the clothes he would do and the style he would do them in....
was one better due to their gender... no... they gave me 2 different places to go to and have different styles, and i loved it!!
it's the same when you see a male ID... i have seen ppl ask about that all the time... (had a friend who was male and a MID... and straight!!)
all i gotta say it keep it going men!! a tailor is a tailor and we all rock!
Mystyrys
Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:50 am
#9
It's odd. Face to face or via tells or mails, people generally assume I am male RL, and assume I am a female avatar. "Thanks Dude." or "No problem man." or "Gettin' aggro from the wife?" type responses. At least on my tailor and TK chars. My tailor char is short and very feminine. My TK char is tall and has the military style haircut, has avery masculine face,and she's almost never out of her comp. But for some reason, when I play my MID/Swordsman char, they assume I am female on both counts. *blink-blink?* Sometimes I "borrow" my son's character - a male Zabrak smuggler - and I am careful to never break his masculine persona (except when out in the middle of nowhere with my friends who know who's behind the avatar just then) and no one ever assumes there's a female behind that tattooed face. I really need to get him to change his char bio though, if I am going to keep playing that char to help him finish grinding out pistol boxes. I do not enjoy playing out the persona of "Sexiest Zabrak and God of Rock and Roll."
Myself, I'm just simply more comfortable playing female. I can play male and never get caught out, but too many people get offended when they find out later. That's so silly. *shrugs* But due to the immaturity of too many "boys," I also can't enjoy playing a dancer character. It's bad enough at times just playing any of my female characters, multiplied one-hundredfold if I play my dancer. I'm not a prude, but after a thousand nasty remarks, it just gets dreadfully tiresome and not worth it. Not fun. And not funny either.
Being the mother of three sons, (25, 17, 8) I just shrug off the assumptions and rarely bother to correct anyone. Unless they get rude or nasty, then I tell them my gender and age and they go away.
Message Edited by Mystyrys on 07-28-2004 12:51 PM
CozmoRuneStorm
Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:58 am
#10
my Tailor is a Male toon....only becasue my alt, female fighter toon, didn't have the skill points for it...
lycanthropy
Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:25 pm
#11
Male Tailor here too! proud of it!, though female tailors and male tailors should date!
, though female tailors and male tailors should date! I use my male avatar(me) for the tailoring, and i use my female avatar(me) to handle
the money and business side of my shop ::Glass Moon Fashions::, which gets confusing
at times cause they both have completely different roleplayed personalities.
Tailoring is the profession that allows you to better interact with the customer, and this
i like, i dont wanna see people wear clashing colors! damn it! i must help them!
Darth_Bravo
Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:38 pm
#12
Here's why i just mastered tailor with my inactive main character since i unlocked on january.
1- Bored as hell with Jedi
2- Had promissed my best ingame friend that i would do tailor just to swarm her with clothes
3- I'm a fashion victim
4- People in general either wear armor or are badly dressed, people have no tast what so ever in clothes, so my mission is to show them the way...
Message Edited by Darth_Bravo on 07-28-2004 03:39 AM
BTW, i'm a heterosexual male, but even if i were something else i would still be a tailor
Message Edited by Darth_Bravo on 07-28-2004 03:40 AM
Tryth
Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:12 pm
#13
I am the brunt of many jokes for this reason (Male IRL, and in game). I'm a Bothan too, which doesnt help (my crafting droid is almost as tall as I am). My guldies are always saying things like "let's do this hunt" or "want to duel?" Haha, I told myself I was going to master fencer after I finished tailor. Then I did master tailor, and have been spending so much time with orders and my vendor, that I'm still only 0 1 1 1 in fencer. I just haven't had the motivation and time to run missions (since I also consider it a waste to pay for a 3 hour buff and then log after 1 hour).
I also always make a point of wearing brighter colours, just to stand out.
/sigh
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