GAL DONS A GUY'S GUISE TO EXPLORE A MAN'S WORLD

New York Post ^ | January 8, 2006 | BILLY HELLER

[nickcarraway]

As a woman, New Yorker Norah Vincent was used to being stared at by men she passed in her Village neighborhood. It's a way men "assert their dominance," she says.

But she often wondered what was behind those stares. So she conducted an experiment.

Like John Howard Griffin, who disguised himself as an African-American in the South of 1959 for "Black Like Me," and Gregory Peck playing a writer posing as a Jew to investigate anti-Semitism in the Oscar-winning "Gentleman's Agreement," Vincent went undercover.

With makeup, workouts, wardrobe and a voice coach, she became a man and plunged into a world she had only known from the other side.

The result is a book, "Self-Made Man" (Viking, $24.95), in which Vincent, a journalist, tells how she used her childhood nickname, Ned, and joined a men's bowling league; went into the woods with nearly three dozen guys for a touchy-feely retreat; got a job with a testosterone-fueled sales force; and hung out with her guy pals at strip clubs.

She even went out on some dates with women, although Vincent revealed her true identity before things went too far.

To transform herself into a convincing man, Vincent, who's gay, glued tiny clippings of synthetic hair to her face for a 5 o'clock shadow, and got a flat-top haircut. She bound her breasts with a cupless sports bra and wore loose-fitting clothes and layers, lifted weights and consumed a lot of protein.

She even wore a prosthetic penis in a jockstrap.

In the end, Vincent was surprised by her stereotype-defying discoveries, which included:

* It's men who frequently suffer rejection — and supposedly emotionally in-tune women are extraordinarily self-absorbed.

* Although men are supposedly the dominant species, it's women who dominate most dating conversations.

[martin_fierro]

Errr .... yeah.

[seastay]

big deal, she is a lesbain....

[martin_fierro]

She He She He She He She could be your brother!

[Rastus]

As a woman, New Yorker Norah Vincent was used to being stared at by men she passed in her Village neighborhood. It's a way men "assert their dominance," she says.

But she often wondered what was behind those stares. So she conducted an experiment.

I think the stares were them saying--before her "experiment"--"She's a man, baby!"

[martin_fierro]

[Walkingfeather]

"To transform herself into a convincing man, Vincent, who's gay"

Love these.... Oh by the way things...

Unemployed lesbian writer looks for book subject...

[martin_fierro]

As a woman, New Yorker Norah Vincent was used to being stared at by men she passed in her Village neighborhood. It's a way men "assert their dominance," she says.

Honey, it's because you're funny-lookin'.

[Cvengr]

Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side,..

I say Hey, sugar, take a walk on the wild side,...

And the colored girls go DOO,diDOO, diDOO, DOOdiDOO, DOO, diDOO, diDOO, DOOdiDOO, DOOOOOOOOO

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Vincent, who's gay, glued tiny clippings of synthetic hair to her face for a 5 o'clock shadow, and got a flat-top haircut. She bound her breasts with a cupless sports bra and wore loose-fitting clothes and layers, lifted weights and consumed a lot of protein. She even wore a prosthetic penis in a jockstrap.

In other words - kinda like a typical Saturday night for her.

[JoJo Gunn]

It's men who frequently suffer rejection — and supposedly emotionally in-tune women are extraordinarily self-absorbed.

Tell me something I don't know.

[LibertarianInExile]

"In other words - kinda like a typical Saturday night for her."

ROFLMAO. Naw, that would have included a few doc stamps from the ATF. Licker license, donchaknow...

[GeronL]

Idiocy

what crap

[nickcarraway]

Hey, that poor woman had to deal with leering stares of sex-hungry brutes, undressing her with their eyes. It's not easy to be a sex-object.

[AZLiberty]

"As a guy, you get about a three-note emotional range. That's it as far as the outside world is concerned," she writes. "Women get octaves, chromatic scales of tears and joys and anxieties . . . but guys get little more than bravado and rage."

And once you're married, bravado and rage are pretty counterproductive, too.

[AntiGuv]

* Although men are supposedly the dominant species, it's women who dominate most dating conversations.

"I listened to them talk literally for hours about the most minute, mind-numbing details of their personal lives," Vincent writes. "Listening to them was like undergoing a slow frontal lobotomy."

Well, there's no doubting her research there! Back in the day when I did a lot of dating it always rather amused me that the most consistent remark I would get is what a great conversationalist I was. Of course I'd figured out early on that for most women conversation meant rambling on endlessly while you stared silently in rapt attention, every now and then nodding or mumbling in complete agreement. As soon as I figured this out, I made a distinct point whenever going to dinner with a female to seat us so that I had a view of something I would enjoy gazing at right over her shoulder. Worked like a charm. :)

[killjoy]

Ummm... nothing like being stuck in the 80s... At least Joyce Hyser was hot.

[connectthedots]

At least she didn't have to go shopping for clothes or shoes; or get her hair cut.

[TCats]

"big deal, she is a lesbain....

Yep, and from the photos she is the pitcher rather than the catcher. Wonder why 'she' had to go through all of the preps for this little adventure - looks to me like she was ready from the get go.

[Monterrosa-24]

It is junk journalism just like BLACK LIKE ME. If one wants to know what situations Blacks face one can read about it from one of those good writers who really are Black. For starters, one could read UP FROM SLAVERY by Booker T. Washington.

This young woman out to set out to record what it is like to be a conservative Christian straight White woman. With good research maybe she would learn something.