"She touched my crotch to check if I had a penis," and other things that have happened since I got a boy cut

For once I would like to be not mistaken for a boy.

Dipannita Saha Dipannita Saha
अप्रैल 25, 2017
I swear, sometimes I think my haircut is jinxed. Photo Courtesy: Meghna Kriplani

When I decided to chop-off my shoulder-length locks, all I was looking for was a radical change in my look. After all, an undercut with a chic pixie cut is supposed to make a statement, right?

However instead of being a style icon, my "radical change" came with a different statement altogether--"You look like a boy!"

Yes, I do dress up androgynously sometimes, however that doesn't change the fact that I was born a woman. So when I went for a "boy cut", little did I know that I would invite trouble. I didn't know I would actually be harassed because of it. And no, if you think I had as much fun as Amanda Bynes did in the movie She Is The Man, you are wrong. Hell, I didn't even get to play football disguised as a man!


From being called a man to being called out in the metro, here are some ridiculous things I have faced ever since my haircut.

When The CISF Guard Pointed Out That Men's Entry Is On The Different Side
The day after my trendy and oh-so stylish haircut, I made the mistake of travelling by the metro. No, I'm not even cribbing over how crowded and tiresome metro rides are. You all know how the frisking sections are different for men and women in the metro.

So on my way to work when I tried to go my usual way, I was called out by the CISF guard saying that men aren't allowed to enter from the ladies side of the check-in. I obviously had to correct him and say that I'm anything but a man, but the experience was a little daunting. Little did I know that I was getting ready for what was coming next.

Also read: Pixie cuts and desi femininity: Here's proof that short hair doesn't make you a boy

The Lady CISF Officer Moved Her Hand Over My Crotch To Check If I Actually Had A Penis
No, I'm not even kidding. The minute I entered the covered booth, she very coyly moved her hand over my crotch to see if I had a bulge. Needless to say it was a little unexpected, and no matter how many death stares I gave her it didn't really help my case.

Then I Was Asked To Move Away From The Ladies Compartment

I have started to think that the metro is a little jinxed for me. I have been called out by random women to get off the ladies compartment. This one day a lady refused to believe me that I'm a woman, despite me yelling at her. It took a few fellow women and myself to finally convince that very scandalized woman that girls do get their hair cropped short. I obviously went ahead and told her that haircut doesn't mean a gender reassignment surgery (well, she had it coming).

And I swear I wasn't even fighting for a seat when this happened.

When I Was Told That A Young Boy Like Me Shouldn't Be Smoking
I generally don't smoke when I'm at home. However, there are days when I get the craving and it's too hard to control myself. This was during the end of winter and I was walking in the park with a cigarette in my hand one late evening in my hoodie.

I was minding my own business, when two aunties decided to school me how I was too young to be giving into vices.

The aunties, while standing face to face with me, gave me gyaan about "how a boy who must be just 17-year-old shouldn't be smoking." I was asked what stress I had in my life that I had to be sucking on a nicotine stick. I obviously didn't want to engage with them about my age and gender and so I just laughed at their face and left.

When I Was Told By A Washroom Attendant That I Was In The Wrong Washroom
When the nature calls, I become really blind--but not too blind to notice if I'm in the wrong washroom. So when a washroom attendant once pointed out that I was in the wrong washroom, I actually doubted my sanity.

I wondered where I was, only to realize it was she who was blinded by my undercut. Thankfully I was able to convince her that I was in fact a woman before my bladder burst on me.

The thing is haircut, be it long or short, is no way related to a person's gender. More so, if a person looks a certain way, doesn't mean they should be subjected to humiliation or even harassment. I understand that being called a boy can be taken as a joke and I should let it go, but it does get to me when it happens on a regular basis.

The thing is for once I would like to not be mistaken for a boy--because I'm definitely not one.

 

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